Business as Usual
by Amaya Embrill
Summary: When a new Major transfers to the office, he has a strange connection to Hawkeye that the Colonel doesn't like. But when the Lieutenant goes missing Roy needs all the help he can get.
1. The New Major

Hello! This is going to be a RoyxRiza fic, I have been working on ot for a little while now and I hope that you enjoy it. For those of you who were following my LotR fic, I promise this one will not end the way the other did. Please review when you've finised and as always enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist or any of it's characters. I do own Nathaniel Blackman. Don't take him away.

**CHAPTER 1**

Her boots thumped softly on the tile in the empty hallway, the lights overhead giving off just enough illumination to navigate the path. The building was silent, but given it was 0700, it was no surprise. Few other military personnel had arrived to begin the work day. Riza Hawkeye walked silent down the corridor as she made her way to her desk in the communal office outside that of Colonel Roy Mustang. She had been working under him for many years now and she was dedicated to him achieving his goal to become fuehrer and correct the injustices in the government, although she wasn't sure about his fanatical desire to force all the female personnel into miniskirts.

Riza was not surprised to find that no one else had yet arrived and that the entire office was empty, however she set her book down in the left drawer by her knee before she began to sort through the pile of papers that had been on her desk early that morning. The Colonel always did wonder how she managed to get all of her paper work finished in one day, but if he didn't quit procrastinating he never would understand that there really wasn't that much.

The Colonel would never get straight to work when he arrived, and he never arrived on time for that matter. It was no wonder she had been placed under his command. The man needed someone to keep him on task and seeing that she possessed an uncanny ability to do just that with anyone she worked with, she was placed as a subordinate directly under the young alchemist shortly after he joined the military.

Fuery walked through the door at 0745 and smiled at the lieutenant as he went to his own desk to begin his work.

"Good morning, Lt. Hawkeye," he greeted as the blonde sharp-shooter looked up from her paperwork.

"Good morning, Fuery."

Over the next several minutes the remainder of the office's workers walked in, all in varying states of wakefulness, Havoc even looked as if he might have had a hangover, so no one spoke too loudly as he sat down and was promptly lost in the mounds of paperwork.

It wasn't until 0825 that Roy Mustang sauntered into the outer office with a smirk lingering on his face. He walked up to Hawkeye's desk and placed one hand on it's surface.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," he said as she looked up from her papers.

"You're late again, sir." She looked up at him as he sat on the corner of her desk, the others of the office looking up to see what was transpiring between the two.

"I was just thinking on my way to the office today that maybe you should start cutting me a little slack." Hawkeye raise an eyebrow at him.

"Is that so, sir?"

"Yes, it is. That and I think you should go out with me." Havoc, who had just taken a sip of coffee that Breda had brought him, quickly spit it back out all over the mountain of paperwork in front of him. Hawkeye only sighed and lowered her head to her work.

"I don't think so, sir."

"And why not?"

"Two reasons, sir. One you are never done with you work in time to go out on any sort of date, and two in the S.O.P. Section 4 paragraph 1 line 3 it is clearly stated that, "All fraternization among military personnel is expressly prohibited. Any and all personnel caught in violation of said protocol will be arrest, court marshaled, immediately dishonorably discharged from service." The Lieutenant didn't even look up from her work as she quoted the manual. "And now I have more work to do, as Havoc has ruined most of his papers." She rose from her desk and left the office without looking at Roy. He heaved a sigh before rising and walking into his office, defeated.

The office settled back into its usual routine as Hawkeye returned with a fresh stack of papers for Havoc. Roy remained in his office, quiet and sullen from his turn down. The lieutenant on the other hand simply went back to her work as if nothing had ever happened. It was quiet as the officers worked on their respective tasks, until roughly an hour later, when Hawkeye reached into her holster she wore at her hip, removed her pistol, and fired three shots into Roy's closed office door.

Everyone looked up to see her still looking down at her work with the gun aimed behind her. Then they heard something small hitting the floor, then footsteps, before the Colonel stuck his head out of his office.

"How did you….?" He trailed off as he noticed that the lieutenant had not yet put away her pistol.

"I'm not deaf, sir. You can make your personal calls when you're not on duty. Now please get back to work." Riza carefully put her gun on her desk and continued with her paper work. Sighing Roy, disappeared back into his office.

It was quickly approaching lunch time when Riza came across a peculiar letter in her papers.

**Transfer notice for Major Nathaniel Blackman.**

**Office 2239**

**C.O.: Col. R. Mustang.**

**ETA: 1200 Tuesday.**

Riza looked up at the clock, it was 1115 hours now. If she left now she would still be able to meet him on arrival at the station when his train arrived. She hadn't seen him since her mother's funeral.

Quietly she folded the letter and placed it in an envelop. Retrieving her book from the drawer at her knee, she rose to her feet and left the office.

The office emptied for lunch and filled again, even Roy had returned, before Riza returned from the train station. Fuery was just asking Falman if he had heard her say where she was going, when the door opened softly and she walked in, smiling at the man next to her.

He was a tall man with dark red hair with lighter blond streaks and soft brown eyes. He wore the military uniform with the rank of major on his shoulders, and hanging from his belt was the silver chain of the alchemist's pocket watch. At seeing the new officer, all the men in the room rose to their feet and saluted, Havoc with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Riza walked over to him and removed it.

"Major Blackman these are the subordinate officers to Colonel Mustang. Slt. Havoc, and Breda, Master Sergeant Fuery, and Warrant Officer Falman." Hawkeye gestured to each man as she spoke their name and after one salute from the major, they all returned to their desks and went back to work. Riza motioned to the door near her desk.

"That is Colonel Mustang's office there. I would say you could see him now, however, if we did that he might never get back to work." As if hearing his name, Roy poked his head out the door and looked at Riza's empty desk.

"Oh, good she's not back, yet. I can call Samantha and cancel our date before I'm late." Riza lifted her pistol from her side and fired one shot at Roy as he spoke.

"No, sir. You will get back to work. I told you no personal calls while you are on duty. You should have called her when you were on lunch." Before Roy had recovered from the surprise enough to speak, Major Blackman placed a hand on her gun and pushed it gently to her side.

"It's inappropriate to fire at a superior officer, Riza." Major Blackman looked down at the woman who was barely a head shorter than him. She glared at him for a moment and he didn't flinch away from the cold gleam in her eyes. Finally Riza let out a sigh and holster her weapon.

"What am I going to do with you?" The entire office was silent, everyone eyeing the new officer. Not only had he touched Riza's gun, but he had called her by first name in the office and lived to tell about it. No one had ever dared to do that, not even the Colonel.

As for the Colonel, he was eyeing his new subordinate with fire sparking in his eyes, as his fingers twitched to snap. He had never seen anyone do that to Hawkeye and live to tell about it. Not only that but he had called _his _Hawkeye by her first name, and she hadn't corrected him. There was something between the two and he was determined not to let it continue. He stepped out of his office and stood up straight before the new officer.

"What is your name, Major?" Roy asked as he narrowed his eyes at the taller man. The major came to attention at the sound of the Colonel's voice and responded, looking ahead blankly.

"Nathaniel Blackman, sir." Roy walked over to the taller officer and looked him over, almost hoping for a reason to burn him, but he found nothing.

"Why were you transferred here?" He asked coldly as he continued to look into the Major's blank face. Hawkeye gave the Colonel a quizzical look as he stood up next to Nathaniel. _What is he doing? Nathaniel's done nothing. What is the Colonel up to?_ She wondered to herself the whole time Roy spoke to the alchemist next to her.

"I requested transfer to this office so that I could learn more about being a military alchemist from the best, sir." Roy smirked as Blackman spoke those words.

"Then let's hope you will be worthy of learning from me," he said turning from the Major and walking back into his office without another word. Blackman blinked.

"I was actually referring to Fullmetal, but what ever you say, sir." He mumbled to himself as the door closed behind the Colonel.

"Never mind him," Havoc said coming up to Blackman and placing an arm around his shoulders. "The Colonel's just blowing smoke. He'll revert back to his usual self soon.

"So, do you want to go out for a drink with all of us tonight? You know, to welcome you to the office." Blackman smiled at him as he shook his head no.

"I'm sorry but I have other plans tonight. Perhaps tomorrow."

"Come on, just one drink?" Blackman looked up at Riza with a curious look, but the Lieutenant simply sighed.

"Alright, but just one drink."

------------

The office had emptied for the evening, Blackman being escorted by Havoc and Fuery as they left for the local bar. Riza had her book in her lap and was leaning back waiting for the Colonel to finish his work. He had been unusually quiet today. Hardly fussing at all after she had brought Nathaniel to the office. She didn't mind, it was kind of nice, if not a little bizarre, to not have to threaten Roy's life more that twice in a day. She leaned back and stretched as Roy, cracked his door open and walked out.

"Finished already, sir?" She asked as she looked up from her book. He reached for his coat inside the door as he smiled at Hawkeye.

"Yes, I'm finished."

"That's good to hear, sir. You have a good night." She climbed to her feet.

"Hey, Hawkeye." She looked up at Roy as he sat on her desk and watched her.

"Yes sir, what is it?" She stood where she was and folded her arms over her chest.

"Let me take you to dinner." She was already shaking her head as she dropped her arms to her side.

"I already said no, sir."

"I know that, but just dinner. Come on, what's dinner between friends?" He looked at her hopefully as she sighed.

"Even if I wanted to, sir, I couldn't."

"Why not? What would it hurt just to go out to dinner with me?"

"I'm already going out to dinner tonight."

"Oh? With whom, may I ask?" Riza looked away and smiled slightly.

"Nathaniel." Roy started as he heard her speak of the new Major in such a fond manor. They must have known each other from another time. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Oh….okay then…you have a good time then." He paused at the door and looked up at her and smiled. "Enjoy your date," and he walked out the door. Riza stared after the Colonel as he left the office too stunned to respond. Slowly she regained her composure and began to chuckle as she left the room.

"He's not my boyfriend, sir. He's my brother." She whispered to herself as she left the office to retrieve Nathaniel from Havoc.


	2. Already in Trouble

So here I am again with my second chapter. I really hope you are enjoying this cause I really do like writing it. So anyways please enjoy and review when you've finished.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own FMA.

**CHAPTER 2**

The next morning Riza was for the first time in her military career late. She came skidding into the office, with Nathaniel right behind her. Her face was flushed as she panted for breath, one hand holding firmly to Blackman's.

"Damn it, Nathaniel! Don't you ever make me late again!" Hawkeye yelled at the Major as he rubbed his face, yawning.

"I'm sorry, Riza, but after last night, I was so tired I over slept."

"And it took me an hour to wake you up!" Hawkeye sighed after she finished yelling at Blackman, and looked around the office. Fuery's eyes were bulging, Havoc had spit coffee all over his papers again, Breda was staring at her, and Falman had tumbled out of his desk chair.

"What is all this yelling?" Roy stuck his head out of his office door and saw Riza standing at the door to the outer office, hand in hand with Blackman. His eyes flashed as he looked at the two, and he stepped out pushing the door fully open behind him.

"You two in my office now!" He snapped and Riza stormed in followed closely by the Major who was still being led by the hand. Roy walked in after them and slammed the door.

"What in the HELL do you two think you're doing?" He yelled stepping over to his desk and sitting on the corner as the two lower officers stood at attention before him.

"I don't know what you mean, sir," Hawkeye responded looking straight ahead.

"I mean this Lieutenant." Roy reached over and lifted their still gripped hands. Hawkeye looked down for a moment, then released the Major's hand. "You know better than anyone the consequences of your actions. Why would you risk your career?"

"Sir, I hardly think being late would constitute a discharge."

"No but fraternization will." At that Blackman began to laugh. Roy stood up and walked up to the man. "Is something funny, Major?"

"You think that Riza and I…." He lapsed into gales of laughter again, and to Roy's surprise Hawkeye started chuckling.

"I tried to tell you last night when you wished me a pleasant date, sir, but you left before I could. I am not, nor would I ever consider being, in a relationship with the Major."

"And why is that, Hawkeye?"

"Because he's my half-brother, sir." Roy started.

"I'm sorry?" Blackman was still laughing, as Roy looked closely at the two. They looked almost nothing alike, their hair color and facial structure were different, but now that he was studying them he noticed that they had the same eyes. Riza smirked.

"It's quite alright, sir. I suppose it is too much to ask you to actually _read_ what you're signing." Roy looked at his Lieutenant. Her mouth was quirked in a half smirk that lit her face pleasantly. He smiled.

"If I read half the papers that came across my desk I would have no need for a house. I would never leave the office." He sighed as he looked at the siblings in front of him. "Blackman you are dismissed. I would like a word in private with the Lieutenant."

Nathaniel blinked, and looked over at his sister, she had not moved at all save to smirk at the Colonel. He saluted Mustang and turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him.

Roy waited until the Major had closed the door before turning his gaze to Hawkeye. He watched her for a moment, thinking. She was the one woman who he had never succeeded in charming. And the one woman he wanted.

"At ease, Hawkeye," he said, rising to his feet. Riza relaxed and looked over at the Colonel as he stood before her.

"What is it, sir?"

"I trust that you will see to punishing the Major for his lateness, however, you also were tardy today." She raise an eyebrow at him. _What is he planning?_ "Therefore you will meet me here at 2030 dressed in civilian clothes. I will explain the rest when you arrive."

"What for, sir?"

"Your punishment. Dismissed."

------------

The office emptied as the officers left to find a bar for the evening, Blackman being tugged along by Havoc and bombarded with questions about his relationship with Hawkeye. Riza left for her apartment and changed into a pair of nice khaki dress pants and a loose black satin button shirt that she only buttoned to her chest. She pulled her hair up in a tight braid and placed her pistol into a small purse before she left again for the office. She made one stop along the way to find Nathaniel pleasantly drinking and handed him the key. She only had one and he would probably be home before her anyway.

When she arrived back at the office, she entered to find the Colonel sitting on her desk, black dress pants and a white dress shirt. He didn't wear his ignition gloves, but Riza assumed that he had them tucked into his pocket.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. First, no 'sir' tonight. Call me Roy." Riza raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, if this is…"

"I'm serious Lieutenant." He cut her off meeting her gaze levelly, his tone cold and commanding. She nodded.

"Yes, si…Roy." He nodded.

"We are going to the Café de Lion, where we will be meeting with an alchemist named Jericho Talsi. He is doing research on the philosopher's stone. He is civilian and looking for funding. I heard of what he was doing and decided to look into it for Fullmetal. He will be meeting us later this evening at another restaurant. We will be going undercover. That is why I asked you to change. Now, are you ready?" Riza looked at Roy calmly as she thought about what they were doing. Then she remembered something she had read in one of Fullmetal's reports.

"Roy, I thought that to create the Philosopher's stone there had to be a massive human sacrifice?"

"That's another reason we're going." He stood and walked over to his subordinate and held out his arm. "Now, shall we go, Riza?" She placed her hand on his arm and together they left the office.


	3. I'm Going to Kill Him

Hey there! And here I am with another chapter. I really hope you are enjoying the story so far, cause I really love writing it. This chapter is interesting, cause it involves a lot of important stuff that comes back into play later but I can't tell you what cause it will spoil things. Just remember I warned you when it comes back. Any who please enjoy and review.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own FMA, just Major Blackman.

**CHAPTER 3**

Roy pulled his car up in front of the Café de Lion, letting Riza out of the car before they walked up to the entry with her hand on his arm. The entered and were greeted by the host.

"Good evening, sir, ma'am. Do you have a reservation with us this evening?"

"Yes under Mustang."

"Ah, the rest of your party is already seated, if you would come this way…" Roy followed the host into the rear of the restaurant to a table where Jericho was already seated. The host pulled out a seat for Riza and Roy pulled out his own. After the host handed them menu's and left, Roy looked up and smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Talsi. May I introduce my wife, Riza." The man looked up from his wine glass and smiled softly at Riza. He was a short stocky man with sunken gray eyes and three day old stubble growing on his chin. Riza smiled at him and whispered a hello. The man looked as if he hadn't slept well in days and she wasn't sure that it was due to the amount of research he was doing or if he was trying to avoid something in his dreams, but unless she missed her guess she would have said it was the latter.

The waiter came and took all of their orders and left again. They sat making only small talk about the whether, the government and the likes as they waited for their food. It was only after the table was cleared of the empty plates that the discussion turned to business.

"I would like to know more of you research, Mr. Talsi. Perhaps you could explain what exactly a Philosopher's stone does if you want me to grant you such a large sum of money." Jericho took a sip of his wine and leaned forward placing his hands on the table.

"It's an amplifier, Col. Mustang. It makes it possible to create something using less than would ordinarily be necessary. It makes miracles. It is even said that it can bring life where there is none."

"And that is what you hope to achieve?"

"It is. I hope to create the Philosopher's stone so that it would be possible to bring back those lost to disease, murder. Those who were never meant to die." Riza listened to all of this without registering that she understood any of the exchange. So he wanted to bring someone back to life? How close had he come?

"That sounds like a fairytale crafted to lure in the unsuspecting. How can you prove to me that it isn't just a story?" Reaching down into the bag at his side, Jericho removed an envelope. He handed it across the table to Roy and stood.

"In that you will find all the proof you need. If you still wish to invest you know how to contact me. Until then I have other business to attend to. I hope that you and your lovely wife have a pleasant evening." Turning, he left the restaurant. Roy turned the envelope over and opened it, pulling a small stack of papers out. He flipped through it and read carefully. Riza peaked over his shoulder and read some of it, but she didn't understand it.

"What is it, s….Roy?" He looked up from the files and smiled at her as he found her face close to his own.

"Alchemy notes, but from the looks of it, he hasn't had much time to dedicate to it or he isn't that good of an alchemist. Fullmetal wrote better notes than this before he joined the military. He certainly has all the information listed here. I would say that he only recently decided to look into the matter of the stone and doesn't know all that much about it. I don't think we have much to worry about from Mr. Talsi." Roy pulled out his wallet and placed some money on the table that looked to be enough to cover the meal twice over and rose from the table.

"Come on we don't want to keep the kid waiting."

-----------------

"And I was starting to think that you were too busy with some date to show up, Colonel." Ed looked up and grinned evilly at Roy as he sat down next to Riza across the table from the young alchemist. "Did you talk to the guy?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't have anything useful for you, Ed. He's got about as much research in this as you got from Tucker's books. I wouldn't bother with him if I were you." Ed gave the Colonel a questioning look.

"Are you sure? You said on the phone hat he sounded as if he might have more information."

"He must have been exaggerating, thinking he was talking to someone who didn't have any alchemy experience." Roy tossed Jericho's notes on the table, and rose to his feet. "You can look through his notes if you want. I don't think you'll find anything useful. I need to be going though. I have to be taking my date home." Ed had picked up the file and was sifting through the paper.

"Right, night, Mustang." Roy pulled out Riza's chair so that she could stand.

"Good night Edward." She said as she turned to leave.

"Good night, miss. Enjoy your evening with the Colonel."

--------

Roy walked Riza up to her door and smiled as she turned to face him. He was studying her face closely as he stood on her door step. Her face was shadowed slightly, her lips turned up in a faint smile.

"Thank you for coming with me, Riza. Maybe next time it will be just the two of us and not business." The smile faded from Riza's lips.

"That won't happen, Roy." She had grown somewhat accustomed to using his first name. "It isn't worth you risking your career over. I won't let you do that. Now if you will excuse me." She reached for the door handle and turned it. It was locked. Riza blinked, and turned the knob again, but the door was firmly locked in place. "Damn."

"What's the matter?" Roy was still where he was, watching her as she tried to enter her house.

"Nathaniel isn't home." Roy gave her a curious look.

"He's staying with you?"

"Just until he gets a room assigned in the barracks, but I only have one key to the apartment. I gave it to him, because he was supposed to be home before me. Now I can't get in." Roy chuckled softly as Hawkeye pounded on the door, yelling her brother's name. All they could hear Hayate inside the apartment, barking excitedly at his mommy's voice. Riza looked at her watch. It was 2345, at this rate she was likely to end up sleeping on the porch.

"Come on, Riza. Get back in the car." Roy said, grabbing her elbow gently. She turned and looked at him.

"Sir?"

"Get in the car. You can stay at my place."

"No, sir, I'll be fine. I'm sure Nathaniel will be home soon. Don't worry about me."

"Get in the car, Hawkeye." She looked at him and contemplated saying no again, but then remembered her brother. He was liable not to come home at all much less any time soon. Not to mention that if she said no again the Colonel was liable to order her to, knowing she would obey. Heaving a sigh, she turned around and followed him back to his car and got in, more that a little disgruntled. There was only one thought she had in her mind. The next time she saw Nathaniel she was going to kill him.


	4. At Risk of a Bullet

Hey there! I'm back and here's the next chapter. I think it might get a little out of character at the end so please don't kill me. Otherwise, as always flames are welcome so long as they state what is wrong. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.

**CHAPTER 4**

Roy unlocked his house and lead Riza into the living room. As she stepped inside, she looked around. For a Colonel, he had one of the largest homes she had ever seen. The entryway was a short hall before it opened into a more spacious room. The living room on the right had black marble flooring and high vaulted ceilings. The furniture was leather and gleamed softly in the moonlight. There was a fireplace against the far wall and a mantle that hung over it, but held nothing. To the left was a bar over which hung glasses so that they could be easily taken down, the white tile floor serving as an invisible divider between the two rooms. She laid her purse on an end-table and looked over at Roy with a smile.

"I appreciate you letting me stay here tonight, sir." He smiled back at her as he looked over from the bar. He had pulled two glasses down and were filling them from a bottle that he had pulled from somewhere she didn't see. Walking over to her, Roy passed her one of the glasses.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't about to let you sleep out side. I wouldn't do that to anyone." He took a sip from his glass and Riza followed suit. It was a sweet white wine, brining a smile to her lips.

"I suppose you must need such a nice home to keep up the image that you're a wealthy Colonel for you dates, sir." Roy laughed as she spoke and looked around his spacious home.

"I didn't buy it originally for that reason, but I will admit it does help." He smirked at her before draining his glass. Riza was still nursing hers as she turned from him and continued to look around the room.

"I would think that most of those airheads would faint from the sight just for effect." She muttered under her breath before she finished her own glass of wine and turned to pass it back to Roy.

"I only had one girl faint on me, I'll have you know," he whispered softly in her ear as she turned toward him, causing her to jump and drop the glass she was holding gently with three fingers. It hit the floor and shattered, sending shards of glass skidding across the floor.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she said, bending down to pick up the pieces as Roy walked around the counter for a broom. She had picked most of it up by the time he came back around the corner. He knelt next to her, and used the broom to sweep the rest of the shards into the waiting dustpan he had brought with him. Riza deposited the shards in her hand into the pan as Roy stood again and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it," he said coming back around the counter to where she was standing, and smiled at her. "It's not the first time someone's broken one." He looked down at his watch to check the time, and sighed. "Come on let me show you to the bedroom so you can get some sleep."

"No, sir, I'll sleep on the couch. You shouldn't be letting me sleep in your room when it's your house."

"You're right, it is my house and being that it is my house I choose to sleep on the couch. Unless you want to sleep there with me, you can take the bed." He looked at her, his eyes sparkling in amusement as she fixed him with a cold glare. He knew she would never choose to sleep on the couch with him, although he wouldn't object if she did.

"Fine, sir. I'll sleep in the bed." She turned and walked down the hall opening the first door that she came too. Roy's heart leapt as all the clothes he had hastily stuffed in there came tumbling down on top of Hawkeye's head. He dashed down the hall and began to dig through the pile of clothes and papers that had toppled out in an effort to find her. She pushed her way out of the top of the pile, her head colliding with Roy's sending them both over on top of the heap. It was a moment or so before Roy realized that Riza was sitting up laughing.

"I see you're about as organized at home as you are in the office, sir. I haven't seen anyone pull this trick since I was babysitting Elysia for Hughes three weeks ago." Roy couldn't help but join her laughing at the mess in the middle of his hallway as he righted himself.

"I just haven't had much time to clean it up. Someone has been keeping me late at work. So I put it in here until I could get to it. Unfortunately I never did."

"Well if you would just do your paperwork, sir, I'm sure you would be able to leave on time, but you can't quit procrastinating." She looked at the Colonel with an accusing expression. Roy only shrugged.

"I'd rather be doing other things."

"Like what, sir?"

"Like this." Risking the bullet he knew he would be taking, Roy leaned in and kissed Riza softly on the lips for a brief second. He didn't hold it, knowing he was already pushing his luck, not to mention risking his life, with what he was doing now. He looked at Riza, expecting her pistol to come out at any moment and kill him, but to his surprise she merely sat where she was her face invisible in the dim light. Slowly Riza stood and looked down at the Colonel.

"Well, are you going to show me where the bedroom is, sir? If we don't go to sleep soon, we won't be much use at the office tomorrow." Roy wasn't sure why she hadn't shot him, but he knew he better not press his luck or he may well not live out the rest of the evening. Following suit with Riza, Mustang stood and walked silently down the hall to his bedroom.

_Great, now she hates me. She's probably so angry she didn't even think to go for her gun. Nice job. Real smooth. **Stupid!**_ He mental yelled at himself for botching his probably only shot at getting the woman walking silently behind him. Opening the door to the master bedroom, he waved her in.

"I'll see you in the morning, Hawkeye." He said stiffly as she walked passed him and moved to close the door.

"Good night, sir," she replied in an impassive, and with that she closed the door in his face. Roy sighed heavily and trudged back down the hallway to the living room, where he flopped down on the couch. _So much for that. _Rolling on to his side, Mustang drifted off to sleep.

The second Roy's lips found her in the dark hall, Riza's heart simply stopped beating. Her mind stopped processing what was happening and for the span of a few seconds her entire body stopped functioning. It wasn't until Roy pulled away from her, his gaze landing hesitantly on her darkened face, that her mind returned to her.

_Why…What was Colonel Mustang thinking! _Hawkeye's mind came back to her with a painful thump as her rationality hit her. _He's risking he career here! This isn't worth everything he's worked for! What is going through that man's head? _She wanted to yell at him for not thinking about the repercussions of his actions but while her mind and reason had begun to function again, her body had not. So no matter how much she wanted to reach for something, _anything,_ to throw at the man, her arms remained limp at her sides.

She thought for a moment of her gun, still lying in her purse in the main room, and how much she wanted to shoot the Colonel for being so…so…Stupid! Reckless! Irrational! A whole dictionary of other things that he had been for kissing her. And not just shoot _at_ him either, no Hawkeye wanted to land one good clean shot between his eyes and save him from his idiotic thought processes, but still her body refused to move.

Slowly she found herself rising to her feet, when she had given her body that order she couldn't remember but the fact that she was moving was a good sign. Now to just tell him what a fool he was for risking his career over something so….she couldn't find the words to describe it even in her own mind. The words that did escape her lips, however, where not the heated admonitions that were thrashing about in her befuddled mind.

"Well, are you going to show me where the bedroom is, sir? If we don't go to sleep soon, we won't be much use at the office tomorrow." _What? That's not what I wanted to say!_ Her mouth, the treacherous thing was letting Mustang off without so much as a stern reprimand. The Colonel dropped his gaze from hers and he moved passed her. She couldn't read what Mustang was thinking in his face as he passed her, so she followed him in silence, debating how best to kill him for his lack of thought.

"I'll see you in the morning, Hawkeye." Mustang's voice was stiff as he looked at Riza, the woman standing in the doorway of the superiors bedroom. Watching him closely she caught something odd in the look he gave her. What was that lurking in his gaze as she held the door open. In the darkness, Hawkeye couldn't make it out.

"Goodnight, sir," she replied, closing the door before the Colonel decided to do anything else foolish. She stood at the door for a moment before hearing Mustang sigh and walk away. Riza stood staring at the door, the autopilot her body had effected to get her out of the situation failing now that she was alone. So she stood staring at the barrier between her and the rest of the house and didn't move, or think for many long minutes.

Slowly, very slowly her mind and body returned to be under her control and she walked over to the bed. When she reached it, her knees gave way beneath her and she flopped down onto the soft mattress. Lifting one hand, Riza slammed her fist into the pillows around her and growled angrily. _What the HELL was that man thinking? Doesn't he know how much he's risking just in his little escapade to sleep with as many woman as he can? Not like I'll fall for it anyways. I've seen what he does with his dates often enough not to fall for any of his advances. _

_Then how did I not see this coming? How could I not protect him from himself in just this one instance when his stupidity overruled his intelligence. What am I going to do with him? _

_It's not like I didn't LIKE it, it's just stupid that he would do such a thing when he's so close to achieving his goal!……_Hawkeye shot straight up in bed as she caught onto what she was thinking.

"I did not just think that, did I?" She questioned herself out loud as she scanned her memory of the event. "I mean sure he's really attractive and he's lips were soft….AUGH!" She howled in dismay as she realized that now she had switched from contemplating the Colonel to speaking her thoughts out loud. "Wah am Ah sayin?" She mumbled into the bed. _What is wrong with me? Why would something so simple leave me so…..flustered? _She sat up again, running her fingers through her bangs as she pushed them back against her head. She turned and looked out the window opposite the bed, the glass pulled shut to keep in the cool air.

_Okay, Riza, let's think about this rationally. You were angry with Mustang for forcing you to sleep in his bed. So you turned away and grabbed the nearest door handle. Then he tried to unbury you from his mess. _

_Okay nothing odd about that. He was just concerned that something heavy might have fallen out. No big deal. Then when you came out of the pile of junk, you collided with him and fell over laughing. _

_Well it was amusing, since I had thought he had out grown stuffing his dirty laundry in the closet. Then you teased him about it. That's when he said he would rather be doing something else. _The image of Mustang's playful smirk roused itself in her mind and she thought that had she been more watchful she might have noticed the scheming gleam in his eyes then.

_And then he kissed you. _Riza's heart gave a small leap as she remembered having the Colonel's warm soft lips pressed against her own. _Too bad it wasn't for long._

**_WHAT!_** Hawkeye shook herself, both physically and mentally as she realized what she was thinking. _NO! That's not…It…What am I thinking! Roy is my commanding officer. He is off limits and I would never risk his career. NEVER! _Hawkeye paused to give her mutinous thoughts a moment to decide if they were going to behave or not.

Satisfied that they were done, Riza rose to her feet and slid her pants off her hips and removed her hair from it's clip, letting it hang from the loose ponytail she used to hold it in place. She turned and pulled the covers down and climbed beneath them, enjoying the feel of silk against her skin. She smiled softly to herself, as she curled onto one side and closed her eyes.

_Hmmm. It's really cozy. It can't get any better than this…..Unless I was with Roy. _"AUGH!" She groaned aloud and flopped a pillow over her head to deaden the sound. With thoughts like that she was never going to sleep.

So what do you think? Did you like it? Please review and let me know what you think.


	5. Windowside Confessional

Hello! Sorry it took me so long to post the new chapter. I have been dealing with real life drama and haven't had time to deal with the imaginary kind that I actually enjoy. Anyways here's the new chapter. Please review and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.

**CHAPTER 5**

_**BANG BANG BANG**_

Roy jumped to his feet as he was jarred from his sleep. He held one hand up at eye level fingers poised as if to snap, although his mind had yet to register that his gloves were in his pocket not on his fingers. He looked around the living room of his home and tried to determine what was going on.

_**BANG BANG BANG**_

He turned to the front door and rubbed his eyes, lowering his ungloved hand. He reached for his pocket watch and lifted it to his face, squinting in the dark. 0400. Why would someone come pounding on his front door at this time of night? Heaving a heavy sigh, Roy walked over to the door as whoever it was continued to assault the sealed entryway, sliding his gloves on as he went.

Opening the solid oak door, Roy found himself staring at…

"Havoc? What are you doing here?" His voice sounded dry and disoriented even to his own ears.

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but it's about Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Roy's mind snapped awake at the sound of the Lieutenant's name and looked over at Havoc, shocked. It was then that he realized that the man was panting and still somewhat flushed from all the alcohol he had no doubt ingested earlier that evening.

"What?"

"She's missing, sir! After I took Major Blackman home, we realized that she wasn't there. So I waited with him to keep him company until she came home. That was 3 hours ago, sir. I didn't think any thing of it but Blackman said that she NEVER stays out that…….." Havoc's jaw dropped, his cigarette falling comically out of his mouth and a small trail of blood dribbling down his lip. Roy felt the warmth of a body hovering just behind him and saw out the corner of his eye, an armed hand drop over his extended bicep as he propped against the door frame.

"Oh, it's you, Havoc. What was with all the banging?"

-------

Riza had just quelled her mutinous thoughts into submission and dozed off, when the pounding began. Hawkeye shot up to her knees, reaching under her pillow for the pistol that wasn't there. Shaking her head to clear her sleep fogged mind, she walked over to the bedroom door and listened intently.

The banging sounded again, and she could make out the sound of the Colonel mumbling. She crinkled her brow in confusion. _Who would bother the Colonel at this time of night?_ Picking her pants up off the floor and sliding them on, Hawkeye opened the door and slipped out. She moved silently down the hall, hearing the front door swing open and Roy mumble at the person on the step. She reached the sofa and found her purse laying , discarded, on the end table. Pulling her gun out, Riza froze as the Colonel's raised voice reached her ears.

"What?" She listened intently, still moving toward the entryway; she could just hear the voice of a man carrying a worried tone. Walking up behind Mustang, Riza leveled her gun on….

"Oh, it's you, Havoc. What was with all the banging?" Hawkeye lowered her arm, catching it on the Colonel's bare one where he propped the door open. Havoc's mouth was agape, his cigarette falling from his lips and a trail of blood dripping from his nose, eyes wide in shock.

"I am soooo sorry, sir! I didn't realize…." Turning red the Second Lieutenant stepped away from the door and took off running down the street, leaving the two superior officers standing confused in the door way. Hawkeye stared after him for a moment, then turned her gaze on Mustang questioningly.

Roy watched Havoc as well wondering what he had seen the Roy had not. Turning his head, Mustang caught sight of Hawkeye's quizzical eyes in the light that filled the entryway from the street. Opening his mouth to speak, he caught sight of the silver pistol, and heaved a sigh instead, closing the door softly, letting Hawkeye's arm fall back to her side.

"Sir?" Riza's voice sounded in his ear and he turned to her.

"Your brother is home, Lieutenant. He's wondering why you haven't returned." Hawkeye thought for a moment of returning home, but then she heard Nathaniel's irate voice and loud snoring in her ear. She didn't want to deal with him now; she just wanted to sleep. She shrugged and walked passed the Colonel heading back to the bedroom.

"That's nice, sir. Goodnight." Roy watched her as she walked back toward the rear of the house. He golden hair was shimmering around her shoulders, her hips barely swaying, mesmerizing the man where he stood. After a few moments, Roy walked after her, gently taking hold of her elbow and causing her to turn around, intent on apologizing for his actions early that night.

"Hawkeye…" His voice trailed off as he tried to find the words he was looking for. He saw Riza smile at him and she placed a hand on the side of his face, pulling him toward her. Roy's heart leapt to his throat as Hawkeye's hand pulled him closer, as he lifted one arm to loop it around her waist, and froze. Something cold and hard had pressed itself against his bare abs, forcing him to stop. Looking down, Roy caught a glimpse of silver between his body and Hawkeye's.

"You should be more careful, sir. You let your desire cloud your judgment. I would hope that you don't do this around strangers." She tapped him lightly on the cheek before turning from him and heading back to the bedroom.

It took Roy a moment to recover himself before he snuck up behind the smug female officer. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the unsuspecting Hawkeye's gun hand by the wrist and pulled it around behind her so it rested on the back of the opposite hip. Then placing his knees behind hers, Roy tipped her over backwards so that her shoulder was cradled against his as he supported her weight. She gasped as she fell into his waiting arms and Roy was quick to place his free hand against her cheek. Tempting fate for a second time that night he pressed his lips firmly against her own and held it. When he lifted his face, he smirked down at the trapped blonde in his arms.

"You should be more careful, Lieutenant. You let you smug attitude cloud your senses. I would hope that you don't do this around strangers," he whispered softly, holding her steady, and letting his words tease her as she lay helpless against him. Her wrist strained against his fingers as she tried to pull it free, but her body held it pinned against her more heavily than Roy's hand. She shifted her weight trying to slid free, but overbalancing him, and sending them both over in a heap. Hawkeye's pistol clattered from her dead fingers as the Colonel's hand bruised her wrist.

In her attempt to remove herself from one compromising situation, Riza had sent had inadvertently sent them both to the ground only to land in a worse one. The Colonel lay half on half off of her body with his free hand braced on the ground by her head, their faces less than an inch apart.

It took Roy a minute to regain his composure when he pitched over on top of Hawkeye. He smirked at her as he realized she was unarmed, and stayed where he was.

"Now, now, Lieutenant. I thought you had better judgment than that. What am I going to do with you?"

"You are going to get off of me, sir." Hawkeye's gaze was cold and level once more causing Roy to smile, tipping his face so that his lips brushed hers as he spoke.

"And why would I do that?" There was a sharp click next to his temple, causing Roy to pale. Hawkeye had found her gun. He sighed against her lips, and looked down at her, disappointed. "Now it's all fun and games until you pull a gun." She pressed the barrel against his head. "Alright, Lieutenant, alright. I'll move, but before I do I want you to know something." Hawkeye laid her hand on the ground and gave the Colonel a curious look. Sliding his lips and cheek along the side of her face to her ear and feeling the softness of her skin against his, Roy breathed heavily, sending chills through her body as he did.

"I'm not the only one enjoying this." Then Roy pushed himself back on to his knees offering his hand to Hawkeye.

Riza lay where she was, breathing heavily as she tried to recover her senses from what Roy had done to her. Flushed, she reached for the Colonel's out stretched hand and let him help her up off the floor, and into a sitting position. She sat where she was for a moment then rose to her feet and going back into the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

Roy watched her go and thought for a moment about following her, but judging by the way the door had slammed shut, he figured he would be unwelcome. Deciding to let her get whatever sleep she could between now and work tomorrow, Roy rose to his feet and walked back to the sofa, laying down and dozing off.

-------

Riza closed the door a little more forcefully than she had intended. She was still fuming from what had happened in the hallway and didn't care that she had rattled the hinges as the door shut. She paced around the room, arms folded over her chest as she berated the Colonel for his immaturity and inability to control his sexual urges. How could he possible expect to rise to Fuhrer if he kept acting like…like…

Hawkeye gave a frustrated groan as she removed her pants and climbed back into the bed. She lay on her back, the image of the Mustang swimming in her mind over her as she tried to drop off to sleep again. She could feel his hand on her face even now and she rubbed her own hand over it to scrub the sensation from her skin. The last thing she needed was to give her imagination something to play with.

_I'm not the only one enjoying this._ The Colonel's voice rang out in her mind as she continued to try and force her mind to stop. Enjoying what? Him making an idiot of himself by attempting to seduce her like all the other women he brought to his home? No he wouldn't have meant that. Or did he mean him kissing her? Riza thought the idea over for a moment, the memory of his lips pressed against hers causing her heart to flutter lightly in her chest. She rolled onto her side curling up under the soft sheets as she did.

"Well of course I enjoyed it," Hawkeye mumbled to herself closing her eyes. "It's been years since anyone has kissed me. It's not like he's a bad kisser. I'm sure with all the women he dates, he is probably the best kisser in…" Hawkeye paused mid-sentence and groaned, twisting onto her other side. "What am I saying? I shouldn't be contemplating whether or not the Colonel is a good kisser or not. It doesn't matter. Even if it is some what intoxicating having him so close…." Grumbling again, Riza threw her legs out of bed and walked to the open bedroom window.

"What is Mustang thinking, leaving the window open like this? What if someone snuck in and tried to kill him in his sleep? It's not safe." She paused enjoying the cold night breeze against her hot face. Sighing she leaned against the frame crossing her arms as she stared off into the night.

"What am I doing? I can't feel anything for the Colonel. It isn't appropriate. But…Is that what it is? Do I have…feeling for the Colonel?" Riza shook her head firmly. "No, it's just me being his subordinate. I'm confusing professionalism and emotions. I don't feel anything for Mustang. Nothing more than a subordinate to her superior." She hesitated, the words feeling wrong on her lips even as she stated them. "No, it's nothing more than that. I may care for him as more, but it…NO! I do NOT have any emotional attachment to the Colonel other than as his subordinate." She paused in her tirade to glance back at the door to the room, ensuring that Roy had not walked in on her to hear what she was saying. Relieved that she was still very much alone in the room she went back to looking out the window again. The breeze hit her face and she felt Roy's hand again on her cheek, causing her heart to flutter slightly.

_Maybe I do have feelings for him. Is that so bad? _She hesitated in her thoughts, unwilling to cross the line even in her mind. _I can't have feelings for him, it's against regulations. I can't risk his career._ Riza sighed.

"What am I supposed to do?" Hawkeye asked the empty room, looking up at the starlight sky. "Just walk up to him, salute, and say, "By the way, sir, I thought you might like to know that I'm in love with you. Please finish your paperwork." Riza sighed again, turning back to the room to go to bed.

"Let's hope for your sake that your precious Colonel feels the same way for you." A voice called out from behind her low and gruff as something hard and cold collided with the base of her head, sending her over in an unconscious heap.

I know, cliffhanger. You are all going to kill me for that aren't you? Well, too bad. Don't worry, I'll try and have the next chapter up soon so you can have some resolution...maybe. Hehe, I'm evil.


	6. Concerned Acusations

Hey there again, I'm back. Sorry about the impossibly long update, but my laptop lost it's power cable for the last week and I have been unable to post. I did find it and now here's the new chapter. I hope you enjoy.

**CHAPTER 6**

Roy climbed to his feet groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes while gazing around his spacious living room. Sunlight fell across the marble floor in long sheets as Roy stretched back relieve the tightness in his shoulders. Yawning he walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water for himself, scratching at the back of his neck as he trudged to the back of the house to his bedroom. He paused at the door, knocking softly.

"Hawkeye? Are you awake?" Hearing nothing from inside the room, Roy crinkled his brow, confused. _Has she already left for work?_ Turning the knob, he found it to be unlock and pushed his way into the room. "Hawkeye? Lieutenant, are you here?" Looking around the room, Roy saw nothing out of the ordinary. A pair of his khaki pants lay on the floor, the window slightly ajar, and the bed rumpled from it's now missing occupant.

_Well I guess she really was angry with me. She didn't even wake me when she left this morning. _Picking up the pants on the floor, Mustang tossed them into the corner to deal with after he got off work. Walking to the bathroom, Roy paused at the window and pulled it firmly closed, then vanished to shower before heading to work. _This is going to be a pleasant day. _

Roy walked slowly into the office later that morning, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he shut the door behind him. Havoc smacked him on the shoulder as he walked passed him to the door of his office.

"Hey there Colonel. Didn't expect to see you before noon, sir. I thought you would be too tired to come in any earlier." Roy gave Havoc a look, raising an eyebrow.

"What is this nonsense you're spouting, Havoc?"

"So tell us, sir. What size is she really? We've been dying to know." Roy's jaw dropped and he gazed at Havoc as the other man grinned at him. "Come on, sir. Tell us what Hawkeye's bra size is. Is she a C or a D? I'll bet she's a C." Roy hit Havoc across the face with the back of his hand sending the other man flying into the stacks of paper on his desk.

"I'll ask you kindly to stop discussing something you would not speak of in front of the Lieutenant." Havoc fell off of the desk and onto the floor with a loud grunt.

"Ah, geez sir, I know you were with Hawkeye last night. I admit I was more than a little surprised to find her there. Shirtless no less. We just wanted to know a few of the details. Not everything, just tell us what size she is…and if she's any good."

"Havoc if you don't shut your mouth…" Roy lifted one gloved hands twitching as he turned to his office again.

"Colonel Mustang!" The main office door flew open as Roy just took hold of the knob. Mustang turned around to face a very angry Major Blackman. Nathaniel stopped just sort of the superior officer hands shaking at his sides as he glared at Roy. "Where is Riza? Why didn't my sister come home last night? What did you do to her?"

Roy stopped where he was the momentary anger he had been feeling faded rapidly as Nathaniel's words reached him.

"She's….not….here?"

"Great work, Colonel Super-sleuth. No, she's not here. Now, what did you do to my sister?"

"She…didn't…go home…this morning?" Blackman looked at Roy some of his anger drifting away at the other man's complete inability to listen to anything. No wonder Riza never had time for anything other than work with this man.

"Did you not just hear the words that came out of my mouth. I haven't seen her since she gave me the key to her appartment after work. Last I heard she was at your place." He poked the Colonel roughly in the chest before folding his arms angrily over his chest.

Roy's face paled visibly and he slumped into the nearest unoccupied chair. He thought back to that morning as he had readied himself for work, remembering the khaki pants that had lay on the floor near the bed.

"They weren't mine." Nathaniel saw the look on Roy's face and all anger drained from his body.

"What wasn't yours, sir?"

"The pants next to the bed…they were…Hawkeye's pants. I thought they…were mine…that I hadn't….cleaned up before….They were her pants…" A knock sounded at the door and a small secretary peered into the room.

"Colonel Mustang, phone call for you. Outside line." Roy waved at the girl and went numbly into his office trying to think over what had happened to the Lieutenant after he had seen her.

"Colonel Mustang," he answered in a hollow tone, not really paying any attention to who was on the other end of the phone.

"My Colonel, I would have thought to have heard you sounding more frantic by now. I had planned originally to say that I have your wife, however, seeing as the lovely woman you claimed to be married to, was referring to you as Colonel last night, I doubt that is true. If you wish to see the lovely lady again, you will do exactly as I tell you." Roy hesitated, hearing the voice on the other end of the line, wondering for a moment who it was that had dared to take Hawkeye from his room. Then the word "wife" struck his ear and he knew who he was speaking to. There was only one person he had ever introduced Riza to as his wife. Roy motioned for Havoc to start a trace on the call, as he sat down in his chair.

"What do you want, Jericho?" The man chuckled on the other end.

"I'm impressed that you even remember who it is you are speaking to. I'm honored. My demands are simple. Bring an amount of money equal but not limited to 600,000 sens to the river dock at 2200 hours three days from now and we will trade off, the money for your subordinate. Remember however, the sooner you meet these demands the less harm this lovely lady will come to before the trade takes place. The more time passes, the less I will be able to guarantee her safety." Roy tried to keep the man on the phone for as long as possible.

"How am I supposed to know that she's not been harmed already? I know my Lieutenant and she wouldn't have gone calmly."

"You will just have to trust me that she's fine. I'll be waiting for you," with that the phone line went dead.

"DAMN IT!" Roy threw the receiver down on the base and rubbed his face with his other hand.

"Havoc! How close did you get on that trace?" Havoc's head slipped into the doorway, a red hand mark on one side of his face.

"Sorry, sir, I only just got the line tapped when you got disconnected. I didn't even have time to start the trace."

"Havoc when this is over remind me to dock your off time. I would dock your pay but you would probably starve to death." Havoc's face dropped and he slipped back into the outer office with a soft whimper.

"Shall I report this to the higher ups, sir?" Falman looked over Roy's desk as the Colonel flopped down in his chair, spinning to the window as he heaved a sigh.

"No," he sighed heavily, realizing that he had to get Hawkeye back on his own. "No, don't tell them. They will be wondering why Hawkeye was at my place and even though it was for a valid reason and nothing happened, it could severely damage both of our careers. I won't allow that to happen. No, Falman, we're doing this ourselves." The men in the office looked at Roy and nodded, all of them understanding.

"Now," Roy rose from his desk. "Havoc, get Lieutenant Colonel Hughes on the phone from central. Falman, you and Breda get on the streets see what word you can find about this, if any. Fuery, I need you to stick with the usual office routine; we can't afford to fall behind because of this. Hawkeye would kill us all when she gets back if we did. Blackman, go to the National Library's branch here and look through the records to see if you can find anything on Jericho Talsi."

"Sir, with all due respect, I would much rather…" Roy raised a hand to cut the younger officer's sentence short.

"I know you want to do something more productive in finding your sister, but I can't allow that. You're too close to the situation to keep your head level and stay calm, and I really need that information if it's available." Blackman opened his mouth to argue farther, but Roy spoke first to override what the other man was going to say. "That's an order, Major."

Blackman stood fuming in front of the Colonel, glaring at him as his fisted hands shook at his sides.

"Yes, sir!" Turning on his heal, Nathaniel left the office, slamming the door behind him. Roy sighed and turned back to the others.

"Falman, Breda, keep an eye out for him while you're in town. If you find him, drag him home and lock him up. He won't be able to keep a level head in this. You all have your orders. Dismissed." The men saluted and left the office in silence. Roy flopped back down in his chair again, and gazing out the door. He could just make out the corner of Hawkeye's desk from where he sat, and he felt his heart tug painfully in his chest. If he didn't get her back safe, he wasn't going to forgive himself.

So what do you think? Did you like it? I realize I didn't resolve much of the cliffhanger from the last chapter but that's part of the story. So please review and tell me what you think. Anyways the next chapter is coming along well, and I hope to have it up soon. See you then.


	7. Addressing Concerns

Hey! I'm back. Sorry the update took so long, I have been busy with life. So, here's the new chapter, I hope you like it. And as always please Review when you are done so I can get better.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist or any of it's characters.

**CHAPTER 7**

Slowly the day wore on, the office silent as Roy tried to concentrate on his paperwork. He could barely focus on it when Hawkeye was there aiming a gun at his head, it was almost in possible now with him so worried about her. His gaze kept drifting back over to the small portion of her desk that he could see, every time his heart sank a little lower. Havoc poked his head in to room several hours after the others had left.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes is on the line now, sir. He was out of the office until now." Roy sat up sharply as he grabbed the phone.

"Hey buddy, what do you need? Havoc left a pretty urgent message on my desk. You just want to hear more about my family don't you? You getting jealous?"

"Not now, Hughes. This is important." Hughes' voice came over the line again this time more serious than before.

"What is it, Roy? What's happened?"

"Hawkeye's been kidnapped and I need to know what you can find out for me. I have Falman and Breda on the street now trying to find her, the new Major is in the library trying to find any record he can on this guy, but I think you will have a better chance than he does."

"So you gave Hawkeye's brother busy work so he wasn't sitting in the office driving everyone crazy?" Roy chuckled.

"At least he didn't think of it that way. Tell me what do you know of the man named Jericho Talsi?"

"Talsi? Hmmm, sounds familiar. I can't think of what it is right off the top of my head, but I'll look into it. I'll call you back when I've got what I can."

"Thanks, Maes."

"Hey, no problem. Besides, who else would do so much for his best friend?" Roy hung up the phone and laid his head down on the desk.

Later that after noon, Falman and Breda came in with no news. There was nothing being said about them on the streets, so they had no lead to go on there. Blackman came in from the library with no more information than the other two men. After another hour, Havoc poked his head back in the office.

"Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes is on the line." Roy jumped at the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Roy, I have good news and bad news, which do you want first?"

"Just tell me what you know, Hughes. I need all the information I can get. We've turned up nothing here."

"I figured as much. I barely found anything at all, the wasn't much of anything in the library about Jericho Talsi, but as I was going through the papers from the time of the Ishbalan rebellion, I came across something interesting. There was a family living on the outskirts of East City when the rebellion broke out, the father was an alchemist, and the Ishbalan's raided the house, shortly after the military started their campaign in their home region, to show other alchemists what would happen to them. As it turns out, there was a woman and her small child killed in the raid, the alchemist wasn't home. The man's name was never released, but the woman's name was Noma Talsi."

"That explains why he wants the Philosopher's stone."

"Unfortunately that was all the information available. I couldn't find anything else on Noma or Jericho Talsi. I did however manage to get an address." Hughes rattled off an address over the phone as Roy hastily scrolled it down on a piece of paper.

"Thanks, Hughes. I'll give you a call after I go check this out." He hung up the phone and headed to grab his jacket, turning to the rest of the office as he pulled it on his shoulders.

"You're all dismissed for the evening. I want you all back here on time tomorrow morning." Blackman stepped forward, grabbing his jacket from the rack, throwing it on his shoulders as he leveled his gaze at the Colonel.

"I'm going with you, sir." Roy yanked his reactive cloth gloves on, as he replied to the Major.

"No, I'm going alone. I told you before you are too close to the situation. I can't trust you to keep a level head. You're staying here."

"With all due respect, sir, no the HELL I'm not. That is my sister, I don't care how close to the situation I am, you can't stop me from looking for my sister." Roy stood in the doorway facing the Major, hands fisted down at his side.

"Major, I said I am going alone. You are…" Blackman stepped up to Roy , staring down on him, being an inch or so taller.

"I'm going, SIR! You need someone there to watch your back, and I need to do SOMETHING to find my sister. I'm going." Roy stared down Blackman, with no sign of caving, until Havoc piped up.

"Sir, if you aren't going to let him go, then I'm going with you. No one in this office is going to let you do this alone." Roy glared at Havoc for a moment then turned back to the Major, speaking slowly.

"Alright, Havoc, get your coat and lets go. Blackman, you are to go home and wait. That's an order." Nathaniel glared down at Roy, contemplating whether or not he was going to obey that order, before his mind flashed to his sister. If she knew he had disobeyed a direct order for her sake, no matter what the situation she would kill him.

"Yes, sir." He stormed out the door, shouldering past the Colonel. Roy turned to the remaining soldiers in the room.

"Falman, watch him. Make sure he stays at home. Everyone else, you are dismissed. Let's be going Havoc."

So what do you think? I real love the way this is coming out and I hope you do too. So please review. Flames are welcome.


	8. Letter of displeasure

Hello again! Here's the new chapter. Sorry the update took a long time. I was having trouble with Nathaniel...he's not happy with me for making him stay behind. Anyways. Please enjoy the new chapter and as always reviews are requested and flames welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.

**Chapter 8**

The black civilian car pulled to a halt two blocks from its intended destination, the two officers stepping out, no longer in uniform, and began moving in the direction of the address Roy had hastily scribbled on a piece of paper. Havoc was lighting a cigarette, shielding the flame of his lighter with one hand as he stepped beside the Colonel.

"Hey, sir. Mind if I ask you something?" He let out a breath of smoke as he walked, holding the cigarette in one hand. Roy eyed him hesitantly, before nodding.

"Presuming that you don't persist in being an annoyance, I don't see why not." Havoc took another long drag, letting it out slowly before continuing.

"If Major Blackman is too close to the situation to be trusted to keep his cool, then why are you here, sir?" Roy looked at him, irritation evident in his dark eyes.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye is my subordinate and therefore my responsibility to protect." Roy kept his gaze forward as he spoke, his steps sounding heavily on the concrete.

"That's not what I meant, sir. Everyone in the office knows how you feel about…" Roy cut him off, glaring a head of him as they continued walking.

"That's enough, Lieutenant." Havoc shrugged, moving along beside the Colonel as they navigated the next street toward Talsi's home.

They went the rest of the way in silence, Havoc walking next to the Colonel wondering what he was thinking. Roy for his part had his mind on Riza. He kept thinking over in his mind how he had left things with her. Was she still angry with him? Was she even thinking of that as he was? What was happening to her? Would he be able to protect her as she had him so many times before? As they approached the address, Roy quickened his pace without realizing it.

Rounding the fence line, they turned and saw a small single story home, overgrown in weeds and vines that crisscrossed the sides. The grass in the yard had grown up to the men's waists, making it difficult to traverse the yard. They stepped onto the crumbling wooden porch, the boards underneath them creaking angrily in protest to the unaccustomed weight they were being forced to bare. The screening in the outer door had fallen from the framework long ago, leaving it open and gaping like empty eyes.

They pushed the front door open on its rusty hinges and stepped cautiously into the empty house. Havoc stayed close to Roy's side, knowing if anything happened to the Colonel he would be a dead man when they got Hawkeye back. Roy had his hands in his pockets, each gloved in the deadly reactive cloth that made him the renowned war hero. They moved through the entry way to the main part of the house, stepping lightly as the walked, hoping to leave their presence unknown for a while.

Roy signaled for Havoc to search the back of the house while he continued to look around the front of the building. Havoc shook his head, signaling that he would remain with the Colonel because he didn't want to die. Roy frowned but nodded his consent; he understood. No one wanted to be the target of Riza's wrath. Silently they walked into the small den in the rear of the house, a small piece of paper fluttering around the room in the light breeze blowing through the missing windows. Roy bent down and picked it up, snapping his fingers to create a small flame in the dim light.

My, my, Colonel Mustang. It seems you have been doing your homework. I'm sure Ms. Hawkeye would be pleased to know that. I am sorry to inform you that you are however incorrect as to her whereabouts. Forgive me if I'm not so dumb as to bring her to the only address you have on me. Remember your deadline, Colonel. I can't ensure her safety much longer.

Roy clenched his fist in anger, crumbling the note in his gloved hand. He moved the fire he was controlling with his right hand to the paper, igniting it and watching it burn to ash. He dropped it to the floor, stepping on the feeble flame to extinguish it, before turning to Havoc, who had been reading over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Lieutenant." Havoc looked at him curiously.

"Sir, shouldn't we…"

"Now, Havoc, before I send this whole DAMN house up in flames."


	9. Bad Timing for Baby Jokes

Hey! I'm back! Sorry the update tok so long. I'm having a rough time with college and real life came calling cutting into my writing time. Sorry, I'm working really hard on finishing this up so hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon. Anywho, please enjoy. Read, review and feel free to flame if you are willing to tell me what's wrong.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist...Damn.

**Chapter 9**

Roy stormed into the office, slamming the door behind him as he threw his jacket at the coat rack, knocking it over. He went straight for his desk and picked up the phone, dialing Hughes's office from memory as he drummed his fingers on the surface angrily. For several minutes all he heard was ringing on the other end, finally a frazzled female voice picked up the phone.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes's office."

"Yes, let me speak with Hughes. This is Colonel Mustang."

"Ah, yes. He said he was expecting your call. I'll put you through."

"Thank you." The line went dead for a moment before more ringing could be heard.

"Hey, Roy! So how did it go? Did you find her? I'll bet she was grateful for the rescue. You two should go have a nice night out together."

"I didn't find her."

"I'll bet pretty soon, we'll be expecting another little one in the office family, huh?" Roy held his face in his right hand as he clenched his left fist around the receiver of the phone.

"I didn't find her, Hughes!"

"Huh? What do you mean you didn't find her?" Roy slammed his fist into the desk, denting the surface with his knuckles. He was going to regret that later but at the moment he hardly felt it.

"Goddamn it Hughes! I said I didn't find her! That's exactly what I mean. I went to the address you gave me and she wasn't there!"

"Alright, sheesh I get it already. You don't have to yell. If you didn't find her, what did you find?"

"Just a damn note from Talsi telling me that he's one step ahead. He knew we had that address, and we would investigate it as our only lead. So he was ready for that."

"Look Roy, don't stress, you have two more days until the deadline. He won't kill her till then. That would just be stupid."

"That doesn't mean he won't do other things to her. He even said that after today he wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety. What will he do to her tomorrow or even the next day? What if he tortures her because of me? I never should have involved her, Hughes."

"Easy, Roy. Just relax. You're no good to her like this. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? At least take a shower and relax. I know you need one; I can smell the ash from here." Roy chuckled softly at his friends poor attempt at humor, given the circumstances, but he was right, he could use a shower, and a good night's sleep would do wonders for his frayed nerves.

"You're right. I could use a shower. I'll call you as soon as I find anything."

"Don't worry, man. You'll find her. I will keep looking for information on my end. Just get some sleep."

"Goodnight, Maes."

"Night, Roy." The Colonel placed the phone lightly on the base, and rose slowly to his feet, stretching as he did. He hasn't realized it until Hughes had said something but he really was tired. He moved to the fallen coat rack and stood it up, retrieving his jacket from the floor, and pulling it onto his shoulders as he turned the light off in the room and headed home.

Roy stepped into his dark home, throwing his keys on the counter top as he moved to the couch in the living room, flopping down in exhaustion. He breathed deeply, as he rested one arm over his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Roy crinkled his nose in distaste. Hughes was right; he did smell heavily of burnt paper.

Sighing to himself, Roy heaved his body up to a seated position and rested his face in his hands, elbows braced on his knees. He rose slowly to his feet, traversing his house to his room, stepping over the mess that was still as yet untouched in the middle of the hall way. Memories of Riza sprung to mind as he navigated the empty hall for his room. It was going to be a long night, he thought, stepping into his room and heading for the shower.

**----------**

Roy trudged into the office early the next morning, his eyes as heavy as they had been when he had laid down the night before. He flopped down in his desk and riffled through the papers that had been placed there earlier that morning. Looking out the door of his private office, he saw Hawkeye's unoccupied desk. Heaving a sigh, he began working on the days paperwork in an attempt to get his mind off the missing woman.

The remaining men in the office came in within the hour and sat down in their desks without a word. Blackman shot the Colonel a dirty look as he went to starting his work; Roy ignored him. If the Major was mad at him, oh well. He would just get in the way. After almost two hours of silent work, the Colonel called all of his subordinates into his office, telling them to close the door behind them.

"I want to go back over everything we did yesterday. We had to have missed something. I want every thing looked over. I don't want ANYTHING taken for granted. If it seems to have relevance to this case, then I want to see it here on my desk. If it doesn't seem to be important, I want to see it anyways. I'm taking anymore chances, people. We only have two more days to find the Lieutenant, and I want her back tonight.

"You are all back where you were yesterday." Blackman opened his mouth to object with the duty being dealt to him, but Roy cut him off. "Major I know what you're going to say, so don't bother. I need you to keep looking at in the library for anything you can find on Talsi. You're the only alchemist here other than myself and you have access to the papers that the others don't. I need you to do this. Havoc, go with him. Dismissed." Roy turned back to the papers he had on his desk and lifted his pen, and signing the top sheet as his men filed out of the room.

"Havoc." Roy called to the Lieutenant as he was leaving the room. "Keep an eye on the Major," he said without looking up from the papers in his hand.

"Yes, sir." Havoc left, closing the door tightly behind him, leaving Roy with only his thoughts.

Later that afternoon, Roy found himself buried in a mound of files from the Eastern branch of the National Library, none of which had any remote baring on Talsi. So up until this point all he had found had been absolutely nothing. Roy buried his head in his arms and closed his eyes as he tried to clear his mind for another try at the pile of insurmountable paperwork. He had called Fuery in sometime ago to help sort through the mess of it all, but so far even with the other man's help they had turned up nothing.

Heaving a sigh, Roy lifted his head from the desk and looked across to Fuery, who was still diligently digging through the documents before him.

"Fuery, take these back to the library and bring me the Lieutenant and the Major. Then I want you to try and find Falman and Breda. I want everyone back in this office within the hour. This is getting us no where."

Fuery left the office without a word to the Colonel, taking the pile of papers with him. Roy sat by himself for almost an hour before the first of his subordinates began to return to the office. Falman and Breda returned first, walking slowly into the office wearing civilian clothes before grabbing their uniform out of their desks and departing again to redress. They were just coming back when Fuery returned with Havoc and Blackman. They entered the Colonel's office hesitantly standing at attention before him. Leaning against his desk, Roy looked at them all silently.

"This isn't working. All the searching you've done has gotten us no where. We need to think of something else and fast. We only have one day left." Havoc stepped forward.

"Sir, perhaps we should try Talsi's home again. It might be effective to thoroughly search the grounds this time, sir." Roy started to point out that they had tried that already the day before and had come out with nothing, but stopped himself. They hadn't searched the grounds of the house at all yesterday, then blessed Havoc mentally for not mentioning that fact in front of the Major. Remaining silent, he nodded, looking his men over again. He knew all of them to be capable men, but the Major was going to be a problem.

"I think that would be a good idea. It's the last thing that hasn't been gone over a second time. Fuery, I need you to say here incase Talsi calls again, get that call tapped and traced as quickly as you can manage it. Havoc, Falman, Breda, you three are with me. Major, I want you…" Blackman cut the Colonel off.

"I am going with you, sir. I will NOT be left behind again. I am GOING to find my sister…SIR!" Roy sighed; this man was going to be trouble.

"No. You are going back to Hawkeye's apartment and you are going to stay there." Nathaniel clenched his fists at his sides, closing his eyes to calm himself.

"Colonel, please try to understand, Riza is all the family I have left. I can't just stand by and watch everyone else risk their lives to try and save her. I want to find her; I don't want to stay behind." Roy studied the man's face for a moment, shaking himself mentally for even thinking about agreeing to what he was asking. It was not a good idea to let him go. If anything had happened to the Lieutenant, Major Blackman would be impossible to control. As he continued to watch the other officer, Havoc's words from the other day rang back through his mind. _If Major Blackman is too close to the situation to be trusted to keep his cool, then why are you here, sir?_ Sighing to himself, he realized that Havoc was right. If something had happened to Hawkeye he wasn't going to be able to remain calm either.

"Alright, Major, alright. But…" Roy leveled his gaze at the other man, "you had better do everything I tell you, when I tell you. No exceptions. The second you disobey me, I will have Falman and Breda escort you back to your apartment and keep you there. Is that understood?" Nathaniel straightened and saluted the Colonel, a faint look of relief spreading over his features.

"Yes, sir."

So what do you think? Like it? I know, I'm evil the whole story has been one cliffhanger after another, but that's why you like it admit it. No I'm just kidding, please review and tell me what you really think. Until next chapter, Later!


	10. Last Desperate Search

Hey there, I'm back! I bet you thought I had forgotten about this story didn't you? Sorry for the long update, with work and college, life is pretty well full without throwing this into the mix but I am still working on it and I should have the next chapter up shortly. I hope you like the new chapter, and I'm sorry again for the delay.

**Chapter 10**

The soldiers filed out of the small military truck they had commandeered all standing in civilian clothing several blocks way from Talsi's home. Havoc was handing weapons to the men as Roy looked in the direction of the house in question. She had to be there. There wasn't any other option; she had to be there.

Roy turned sharply to look at Havoc as the other man tapped him on the shoulder. Jean handed him a pistol, which Roy accepted looking over the gun carefully.

"Havoc," the man looked up at the Colonel as he stared off into the distance. "I'm going to need you to take Lieutenant Hawkeye's place as my backup." Havoc looked at him for a moment then nodded his understanding. The Colonel was likely planning something the missing Lieutenant would call rash, so it fell to Jean to take her place and keep Mustang from getting himself killed.

"No worries, Chief," he whispered, tossing his cigarette to the ground and twisting it beneath his boot. Nathaniel walked up behind Roy and stood silently at his elbow waiting as patiently as he could for the order to move. Roy glanced over his shoulder at the men standing quietly behind him and nodded, beginning to walk for the house.

Stopping at the gate, Mustang turned to his men.

"Falman, Breda, and Blackman, I want you to search inside the house. Havoc and I will search the grounds." The three men addressed nodded shortly and vanished into the house without a word. Jean raised an eyebrow at the Colonel.

"We searched the house yesterday, sir. You know that."

"I said the Major could come. I still don't trust him to remain detached. I want him out of the way so that he won't have the opportunity to do something inappropriate." Havoc chuckled and followed Roy's footsteps around behind the house.

"Interesting. I never would have thought that any of us would be 'detached' for this mission. You and the Major least of all." Havoc followed Roy away from the house on the grounds, rounding one side of it heading toward the back. The Colonel glanced sidelong back over his shoulder and remained silent, deciding not to grace the assuming Lieutenant with a response. Havoc chuckled softly again as his steps fell in time with the Colonel's, his eyes gazing around the yard looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Roy let his eyes roam the property taking in every inch as he scanned the area for anything that looked out of place. The yard was empty from the back of the house until it met the treeline, the grass so overgrown it came up to Havoc's knees. A soft crunch underfoot drew the Colonel's gaze downward as he shifted his foot off what he had accidentally tread on. Bending down he lifted a small bullet shell up from the dirt with two gloved fingers.

"Looks like the Lieutenant did fight back," Havoc commented, watching as Mustang studied the casing intently.

"No, this isn't her bullet. For one, her gun is at my house, left in my room when she was kidnapped, and second it's the wrong caliber. This is the shell from a .45, most likely a revolver; Hawkeye fires a 9 mm." the 2nd Lieutenant looked at him baffled, as Roy rose slowly to his feet.

"You don't spend any amount of time with Lieutenant Hawkeye and come away with no knowledge of guns." He tossed the tiny shell at the bewildered Lieutenant, who saw that the caliber had been engraved on the casing. "She's here." Before Havoc could rise to a standing position, something that sounded like a branch giving way underneath a weight, causing both men to jump and draw their guns. It had come from the tree line not far to their right and both men remained perfectly still, barely breathing. Roy's free gloved hand signaled for Havoc to investigate. He was just moving forward when his gun tumbled to the ground drawn down out of his hands as a bright flash of light went off behind them.

Both men turned to see Major Blackman leaning carefully our the second floor window, one hand pressed firmly against a transmutation circle on the wall, a large magnet hanging from a bracelet on his wrist. Roy glared up at him.

"What in the HELL do you thing you are doing Major? I told you to do nothing until I gave the order!" Nathaniel bristled under the reprimand and glared back, shouting angrily as his frustration overrode his usual restraint.

"Yes because following your orders has given any sort of hope that we would get my sister back alive! It hasn't done anything except cause more work for us, while you sit around in your office and do nothing!" The ice eminating from Roy's level stare, sent a shiver down Havoc's spine, giving evidence of the rage that boiled through the unmoving Colonel.

"I do not tolerate insubordination, Major. Now, you are to return to Lieutenant Hawkeye's apartment immediately and stay there until this escapade is over. I would hope by then, if I were you, that something will have happened to improve my mood or you may find yourself facing the end of your military career. Do I make myself clear?" Nathaniel nearly responded in a sarcastic biting tone that he needn't worry about his career if he had to look forward to a term of service under an egotistical prick, but stopped, thinking of his sister. She was going to kill him when she found out about his little outburst; he had better not make it worse. Without another word, he turned and left the window.

"Well, let's see about making it so you don't have a chance to make that end." The was a hollow thud of metal on metal as Roy turned sharply to find Alphonse standing over him, deflecting a large pole from hitting the distracted Colonel.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up." Roy glanced to his right to see, Edward drop nimbly out of a tree. "I was curious about those alchemy notes you gave me, Colonel. They seemed simple enough, then I really started reading them, and I realized they were simple; too simple. The notes had been deliberately written in a _simple _manner so that _anyone _who didn't understand alchemy or was only just glancing over it would believe anything he told them, or think he didn't have a change of succeeding." He eyed Roy pointedly as he continued. "So I decided to do a little investigating." Ed glanced at Talsi and moved closer to the Colonel, grinning broadly as he went. "And here I thought you would have figured that out yourself, or have you become so bogged down behind your desk of paperwork, Colonel?" Roy smirked at the boy and turned to Talsi.

"Where is my Lieutenant, Jericho?" The man smiled as he stepped back away from Alphonse, discarding the pole with a disdainful flick of his wrist and tucking his hands in his pockets.

"Safe enough, but that doesn't matter now. Time's up, Colonel. Deal was the money for her, and since you are here without the Sens I suppose you couldn't get them, so I'm sorry but she will not be returned to you." Pulling his hands free of his pocket, he lifted a large revolver and fired one shot clean over Roy's head. Roy took one step forward, as a cascade of water poured over him, soaking him through.

"Havoc." The Lieutenant didn't need the rest of the command to know what the Colonel was asking for. Reaching into his front pocket and tossed Roy his matches. Pulling one free of the packaging as soon as he had them in his hand, Roy struck the match igniting the air around Talsi.

The flames died away and Roy started. Jericho stood where he was unharmed, his clothes blowing in a dying wind.

"I hate to say but your flame attacks won't work if the air doesn't remain where you need it." Talsi dropped his hand from a large circular pendant around his neck. "And I don't intend to permit it to remain where you want it."

"Ooo, so the big bad Jericho is a Wind Alchemist," Ed snorted. "Big deal. Tell you what Colonel what do you say you let me deal with this pompous jerk, and you go find Lieutenant Hawkeye. Besides, I believe as she said, 'Your flame attack's no good in the rain.' It may not be raining but your wet enough for it to be." Roy glanced over at Edward and hesitated. Ed was capable enough to handle this on his own, but Roy wanted to deal with it himself. Roy looked back at Talsi and glared balefully over at him. His own agenda aside, it was more important to find where Riza was.

"Alright, Edward. Lieutenant Havoc stay here with FullMetal and make sure things get cleaned up. I don't want any trash left." He glared pointedly at Talsi as he moved for the tree line.

"There's a shed not far into the woods there. Lights have been on in there for some time. You may want to check in there, Colonel." Al's voice chased him into the woods, giving Roy enough guidance to have a place to start. Roy waved back with one hand in thanks and disappeared into the tree line.

The darkness of the forest closed in around him as Roy made his way deeper into the trees. He could just make out a tiny prick of light in the distance, his feet already picking their way over the uneven ground in toward it. The silence folded in about him as he began to make out the sides of the shed that Al had directed him toward.

The front of the shed came into view not long after he entered into the small woods, the door hanging half open to allow light to flood the small clearing in which the shack stood. Roy came to the little door and pushed it open more, peering carefully into the building, but seeing no one. Stepping cautiously inside, the Colonel moved silently down the hall in which he found himself. There were a few doors branching off, most of them open and containing large amounts of supplies for alchemy research.

He came to the first closed door and pushed it in. Glancing inside, he noted the tiny filth coated bathroom, and turned to move on down the hall. A man stood three paces away from him, the door next to him barely open as he looked at Roy angrily. The two men stood studying each other for long moments. The man that blocked the Colonel's path down the hall was a large stocky man, broad shouldered and muscled for a fight. His dingy gray hair hung in strings about his dirt streaked face, cold green eyes regarding Roy with a small amount of wary disdain. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled as if he had worn them before and threw them on again without regard for their unclean state. Roy caught sight of something small and black in the man's hand and glanced at it briefly. It was a small piece of torn black satin fabric.

Roy looked up at the man, anger coursing through him a new, as he recognized the fabric as a small section of Riza's shirt. She was here, and this man was blocking his way to her. The Colonel glared at him coldly, as he stepped forward slightly.

"Move," was the only word that came from Roy as he stood coldly regarding the other man in his way. The man laughed, cold and empty.

"No." Roy took another step closer, still keeping his eyes on the man as he listened for any sound that would let him know that Riza was in the room the man guarded with his body. The man had yet to move from in front of the door, so she had to be in there. But why had she not made any noise to let Roy know that she was in there. Unless she was sleeping…or unconscious. Roy felt his body grow hotter as anger surged through him faster. If Riza was unconscious than something had happened to her and this man blocking his way was probably responsible for it.

"Move," he stated again, his anger hissing past his teeth as he fought to keep his hands steady dispite his increasing rage. The other man laughed again before lunging for Roy. The Colonel ducked just under the man's arms, letting him pass before kicking out with one leg at the man's exposed back, knocking him off his feet. The man went down with a hard thud, but surged back to his feet instantly and charged Roy again. This time Mustang had his hands out of his pockets and snapped, igniting the man's clothing.

The man never slowed, the flames burning at him as he charged recklessly at the officer. Roy ducked him again and one more kicked the man off balance, sending him careening into the closed door opposite the one the man had first been guarding. The room exploded, knocking Roy to the floor as the whole of the shed shuddered with the blast.

Winded, Roy climbed slowly back to his feet looking across the hall to see the flames pouring from the room into the hall and up along the ceiling, almost completely blocking out the room that Riza was most likely being held in. Removing his heavy wool jacket, he placed it over his head and shielded his face as Roy dashed down the enflamed hall into the room.

Lifting his head from the safe confines of his jacket, Roy looked about the smoke filled room trying to make out the shape of the Lieutenant's body. There was nothing in the haze that looked to be anything remotely like a human body. He moved about the room, using the collar of his white undershirt to breathe as he studied the small area. He stopped as he came across a stain on the earthen floor. Bending down he looked more closely, pulling back quickly as he realized what it was. The small reddish blood stain lay in the middle of the floor. Looking up quickly, the Colonel caught sight of the small window that hung open, allowing the smoke to escape from the room. Roy moved to the window and smiled. The opening was just large enough for a slender person to slide through.

Sighing with relief, Roy smiled as he turned back to the door; Riza had escaped. Looking up at the door through which he had come and stopped. The flames had over taken the door way completely by now, trapping Roy in the room. The Colonel turned immediately back to the window and through his jacket out first, it was likely to hamper his squeeze through the narrow opening. He grabbed the ledge and jumped lightly to get most of his weight on the window sill. He managed to wiggle his shoulders through the tiny window just as he began to feel the heat on his legs from the fire that had apparently spread farther into the room. He heaved again on the frame and inched his way slowly out the window. Dropping heavily to the ground, Roy patted hastily at his pants, the long overskirt having caught fire as he slid free of the window. The Colonel retrieved his jacket from the ground and gazed about trying to determine which way the Lieutenant would have gone.

The forest floor was fairly soft where he stood so despite Riza's usually light tread she still left floor prints in the dirt. Roy sighed in relief as he set out after the woman. If things held the way there were, he would likely find her shortly.

Roy looked down yet another alley way as he swore under his breath, searching for the still missing Lieutenant. He still hadn't found her and he had been searching for almost an hour since he had reached the city. He had expected to find her before he left the small wooded area he was in, but she had entered the city and he had lost her trail on the pavement. Now, he was scouring the streets in a vain hope that he might stumble across her before anything more could happen.

Stopping where he was, Roy caught sight of a woman in a long black satin dress staggering down the alley, bare feet black from dirt. He started to turn away, thinking her to only be another drunk, when something told him to take a closer look.

She was a tall blonde woman and her hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail. She would have been rather attractive if she didn't look completely exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and evidence of a few bruises spotting her otherwise smooth skin and a piece of her dress torn away. She stumbled and almost fell but held herself up on sheer force of will as she braced her weak body against the wall with one hand. She lifted her head and looked directly at Roy with soft honey eyes.

No…that couldn't be…was that…Riza?

The woman stood where she was for a moment blinking in his direction as she became more and more unsteady on her feet her gaze the only thing that remained steady as she looked at Roy. Then she spoke.

"Colonel?" Roy's heart leapt to his throat. It was her. Taking a tentative step forward he called out her name. A small smile spread across her face as her eyes began to drift shut. Roy started to run. She wasn't going to stay on her feet much longer, and as her knees buckled under her, he yelled to her again. Roy's feet hammered on the stone ground as he rushed to catch the woman before she completely fell. He pulled her into his lap and rolled her onto her back so he could look down into her face.

"Hawkeye," he whispered, shaking her lightly and trying to get her to respond. He panicked for a moment when he saw her fall, fearing for that brief instant that he was too late. The moment he had her in his arms he could feel her breath, shallow as it was, on his skin, and sighed. Shaking her again, he heard her mumble in her unconscious state, rolling onto her side, closer to his warm body as she shivered against the chill night breeze.

Bending closer, Roy looped his arms under her slender frame and lifted Riza into the cradle it formed, walking back the way he had come. She lay limp in his arms, her body unresponsive to his touch and the soft murmur of his constant calling of her name as he moved. He clung to her as he ran through the deserted streets of the small city, tilting her body so that her head rested closer to his shoulder, so he could feel her breath, reassuring himself that she was okay. If she just kept breathing she was fine.

Roy came to a juncture in the road and hesitated, one way lead to his own home and to the other to hers, Blackman probably tearing the place apart in frustration at being ordered back to the apartment for not following orders. He hesitated unsure which way to take her, his own home was closer to be sure but she would probably be more comfortable in her own bed.

Riza moaned painfully into Roy's shoulder, and he stiffened, looking down at the still unconscious Lieutenant. She wrapped her arm tight around his neck, clinging to him, and Roy stepped on the path to his own home. The sooner she was in a soft bed, the better, whether it was his or her own didn't matter. She needed to be somewhere safe so she could rest; he would call the Major when he had laid her down so the other man could relax.

Hey! So did you like that? Some of the little twists and turns took me a while to work out and I really hope you're enjoying the way the story is going. So please review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's ready. Laters!


	11. The Account of the MIsssing Lieutenant

Hey there! See, I said I would have it done soon and I did. And here is the next chapter. I'm not going to take to much time to say anything but the next one should be up shortly as well.

CHAPTER 11

_The man pressed her to the ground roughly, holding her bound hands above her head as she strained against him. He pressed wet, hungry lips to her cheek, her neck, slowly snaking his way lower on her body. She tried to pull against his arms with all of her strength but whatever drug he had forcibly given her was taking effect, and her body wasn't responding to her commands. The man ripped her shirt open exposing her black lace bra which he quickly removed in a similar fashion to the shirt._

"_That's a good, girl. Just lie still." He murmured as he captured one of her breasts in his lips. He pulled hard on the tip, and she cried out in pain. He let his free hand run down her body starting at her other breast, pinching it painfully, and working its way down to her knee, where it reversed its path up the inside of her leg. _

_She struggled against his body, but her strength was all but gone and all she managed to do was tremble beneath his heavy weight as he pressed her into the dirt floor. She felt his hand as it crept further up her leg, ending its path at the apex of her thighs, cupping her. She stopped completely moving then, her mind frozen in place with the rest of her body as the man ripped the fabric covering that area of her body. _

"_That's a good girl. Let me have what I'm after and I'll let you sleep. Be a good girl." He shifted his weight so that he rested himself fully between her bound legs, something firm pressing against her newly exposed flesh. She couldn't keep the fear from her eyes as she felt him rub himself against her, the man moaning in pleasure as he felt her skin against his, sliding closer to his destination as his firmness found the fold of her skin. _

_She wanted to scream, to rip the ropes from her hands and use it to strangle the man on top of her, but her body had ceased to respond to her commands, allowing the man to continue what he was doing with her body. 'Please make him stop!' She screamed mentally._

_He positioned himself over her better, and butted his hips hard against her own, a scream escaping her lips._

Riza shot up in bed, screaming, her body drenched in sweat as she emptied her lungs of oxygen, the sound of her voice filling the room. Roy sat bolt up right in the seat he occupied next to her, where he had fallen asleep watching the woman toss and turn, hands up ready to snap. Looking at the bed where she sat, Roy was on his feet moving for the edge of the bed. Sitting down, he reached over and pulled the woman into his arms muffling her screams with his shoulder as he smoothed her hair with his gloved hand. She fought against him for a moment before letting her arms go limp around his neck, and resting against him as she tried to catch her breath.

Riza continued to scream as she felt someone wrap their arms around her, holding her close to their body. She fought against them for a moment, her panic over running her senses. Then she caught a familiar sent, the smell of cologne she remembered from just before she passed out. Then she began to feel the coarse fabric of his gloves over her back where her hair didn't cover. Realizing who it was that was holding her, she let her arms go limp around his neck, panting heavily as she tried to regain control of her fear. She kept telling herself it was just a dream, it couldn't happen again; she was safe. She could faintly hear Roy speaking to her over her labored breathing, soft words trying to relax her.

"Shhhh, it's okay. You're safe now, Riza. I'm here; you're safe."

Looking up at the Colonel, she smiled weakly at him, showing him she was okay. He had taken his half-jacket off, exposing his thin white undershirt and letting the jacket hang over the back of the chair he had been in, and removed his boots.

Roy loosened his grip on his Lieutenant, and let her sit up on her own, his hands still lingering on her hips. He could see memories lingering in her eyes he couldn't identify, but the emotions they caused were clear…fear…anger…hate. He let a reassuring smile come to his lips.

"Thank you, sir." Hawkeye whispered to him, wanting to let him know that she was okay now, her emotions once again under her control. She shuddered as she remembered what had happened to her before she had slipped free from those that had taken her, dropping her gaze to the sheets that thinly covered her. She noticed that she was still in the black dress that man had forced her to wear after he had torn apart her clothes. Her hair hung down around her shoulders, the clip that usually bound it long since lost from the two days she had endured, her pony tail having been removed while she slept.

Roy watched her expression carefully before she turned her face from his, looking down into her lap. Something had happened to her, something that he couldn't quite determine. She was scared, and that was something Riza Hawkeye was not. Lifting her face to his with his hand, he gazed into her soft brown eyes.

"What happened to you, Riza?" The woman's heart stopped at the sound of the concern in her superiors voice, and the memories came back to the forefront of her thoughts again. She turned away from him again, the gloves scratching lightly on her skin.

"Nothing, sir," she whispered softly, unable to find the confident tone she usually had in her voice. Her voice sounded weak and broken to her ears as her heart started pounding in her chest. She shook herself mentally trying to bring her emotions under control again.

Lifting her face to his once more, Roy pulled her close to him, searching her eyes for the truth she wasn't telling him.

"Please, Riza, don't lie to me. Something happened to you; you're terrified. I've never seen you like this before." Riza tried to pull away from him, not wanting him or anyone else to know what had happened to her. She just wanted to make it vanish, to trap the memory in the back of her mind, never to emerge. Roy's hand held her chin too firmly for her to look away, however, and so her face remained directed at his. She dropped her eyes, not looking at him.

Roy could tell that she was trying to hide from what had happened, trying desperately to put the memory in a place that wouldn't hurt her. But he knew what kind of nightmares that caused and they lasted much longer than the pain of the memory. He had tried the same thing after the war, but the memories always came back, haunting, tormenting with their presence.

He wanted to order her, force her to tell him, but he knew how she would respond to an order. She would tell him, but she would be angry that he had used his position over her to pry into what she felt was her personal life and not any of her boss's concern. He paused thinking of a way to get her to talk to him. Pulling her face to his, he pressed his lips gently against hers, causing the girl to look up at him in shock, just the reaction he knew would follow. He pulled back, speaking to her in soft measured tones.

"It won't help to bury the memory, Hawkeye. It won't go away no matter how far you push it. It will always come back. Tell me what happened."

The sound of his voice, soft and insistent, broke through her guard and she felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to be that weak. She didn't cry, she didn't let her emotions get the better of her. She shook her head, dropping her gaze to her lap, still feeling Roy's hand firm on her chin, urging her to look at him. She lifted her own hand and removed his from her face as she slid his glove off, toying with the rough material in her fingers as she took a deep, steady breath.

"When I woke, I was in a small room, not much in it, just two chairs and nothing else. They had me tied at the wrist, and shackled to the wall by the ankles. When the door opened, about an hour after I came to, Jericho told me that he was using me to force you to get the money he needed to complete his research, to finish making the stone. He said he knew what the cost was for the stone and he was determined to finish the project.

"Another man entered behind Jericho and whispered something to him I couldn't hear. Then he looked at me…he…my skin was crawling just from him looking at me. Jericho told him to watch me and make sure that I didn't try and escape. Then as he left, he told the other to hold off a little longer and he could have his fun." Hawkeye's voice trailed off was she kept her face averted from Roy's. Her eyes stung from tears that came to the corner her eyes at the memory, at the thought that she had been helpless, and was being used to get at the man in front of her. She didn't want to be a liability to him, she was supposed to protect him. She had promised him that, but she couldn't do that if he was having to rescue her. She had failed him by letting her guard down.

"The man stayed in the room the rest of the time I was there, just…watching me. I don't know when but after a while, I dozed off, and when I woke again the other man was standing over me, just…staring. Some hours later, I don't know how long exactly, Jericho came back and all he did was nod, then he left again. That's when he…the man…he…" Hawkeye to a steadying breath as she calmed her thoughts. "He had his way with me." Her voice was just barely above a whisper, and she wasn't sure that Roy had even heard her.

Roy froze as Riza's last words hit him. He understood then why she had woken so violently moments earlier, why she had fought against him when she had felt his arms around her, why she was so reluctant to tell him what had happened. What he didn't know, was what he could do to help her through it. Not sure what to do, he pulled the woman close to his chest, holding her tight to him, feeling her muscles tighten in reaction to his touch. He held her close to him, rubbing her back, trying to ease the tenseness he felt there.

Riza felt Roy's arms come around her, holding her close to him as he ran his hand along her back. She tensed as she felt his touch, the memory of what had happened to her lingering still in the back of her mind, but it was farther away than it had been before. She relaxed in his arms and placed her head in the crock of his neck, her breath tickling across his skin. She no longer felt the twinge of tears in her eyes, nor did she fell the pain in her body from what the man had done to her. Her body eased into Roy's and she let out an audible breath. She felt Roy urge her up from his shoulder and when she did as he wished, he was gazing at her worriedly.

"Hawkeye…I know this is personal…but…when he did that to you…were you still…" Riza cut him off.

"Virgin?" She nodded, dropping her gaze from his. "I spent my life dedicated to the military…to you…I never allowed myself time to be with anyone that intimately. I didn't want anything to interfere with my work…my promise." She felt him lift her face to his again, but she pulled away, unwilling to look at him as she continued to speak. "I'm sorry, sir. I failed you. I can't protect you like I promised if you're the one having to rescue me." Roy let our a hollow laugh.

"You failed me? Riza, how in the hell could you possibly think that you failed me? If anything I failed you. For that I'm so sorry, Riza.," he said, looking down into her eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't realize something was wrong that night. Sorry I didn't notice you were missing sooner…sorry I wasn't there to save you like you've been for me. I should have been there. I should have protected you."

"Sir, it's not your job to look after me."

"And it's yours to do that for me?" His voice cracked as he spoke. "Damn it, Riza. You shouldn't be risking your life for me. I'm not worth that. No matter what I feel…" His voice trailed off as he stumbled over the words his heart was trying to force past his uncooperative lips.

"Sir?" Hawkeye's voice sounded in his ear as he breathed a sigh.

"No matter what I feel for you, I can't let you put yourself in danger like that. I can't lose you." Hawkeye wasn't sure she was understanding him correctly. What he felt for her? Roy felt something for her? Was it just as his subordinate? Or was it…

"For me, sir?" Roy laughed out loud, turning his face to the ceiling.

"Yes, Riza, for you. The entire time you were gone, I was so worried I would never get you back again. I…I was scared to lose you." He looked down at her, practically yelling as he tried to force the words he needed to say past his tongue. "I was so scared that I would never see you again. Every time I would look over and see your desk empty and I was stuck in the office letting the others do the footwork to try and get you back. I felt useless. I felt like I had let you down. After all the times you had saved me and I couldn't do the same for you. Riza, I failed. Failed to protect…" Unable to finish the sentence, Roy pulled Riza close to him, pressing his lips to hers and holding her tightly to his chest, as if he was afraid it was the last chance he would get.

Riza froze as Roy kissed her forcibly on the lips, his body pressed hard against her own. She couldn't believe that he had been worried over her. Why would he worry over her? Could he possibly feel the same way for her? Pulling back from him slowly, Riza leveled her gaze on the man before her.

"Protect what, sir? Finish your sentence."

"The…Riza…" He hesitated afraid of finishing what he was going to say, but he looked down into Hawkeye's soft brown eyes, seeing her patient, expectant gaze, and his breath caught. He lifted his ungloved hand to her cheek as he let out a sigh, and finished the sentence. "The one I love."

Roy stared at her, searching her face for some indication of her answering response to what he had just said. What was she going to do? Request a transfer? Slap him? Laugh at him?

"Sir," Roy felt his heart drop. "We can't…If someone were to find out about this within the military…if the higher ups found out…there are so many people that want to see you fall. I can't be the reason for that, sir, I'm sorry." She tried to disentangle herself from Roy's arms but he held onto her, refusing to let her move.

"Riza do you think that I would let that happen? I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let anyone find out about this, about what I feel for you." Riza still tried to pull away from him, tried to put some distance between herself and the emotions he stirred inside her.

"No," he said softly in her ear. "I'm not letting you go. I love you, Riza, and I almost lost you. I'm not going to lose you again." Riza shook her head, pushing against his shoulders, trying to free herself from his arms.

"No, sir. I will not be a danger to your career."

"I won't let you be. Riza, nothing will effect the way we act in the office. You aren't the kind of person to let your personal life interfere with work. If we don't act any different in the office, how are the higher ups to know that anything has changed?" Riza looked up at Roy hesitantly, unsure of what to say.

Roy held his breath. Riza said that she didn't want to be the cause of his fall in the military, but he wasn't sure if she only cared because she was his subordinate. He wanted to think that she loved him, but he wasn't sure. In response to his concern, Riza lifted her face, a faint smile playing at her lips as she pressed them gently to her superiors. Roy felt her soft lips on his and he let out the breath he had been holding, pulling her into him as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her open mouth and drawing hers up to mingle with his.

Hawkeye kissed Roy softly on the lips with as much of the love she felt for him as she could muster. His response was immediate. He sighed through his nose as he leaned in to the kiss, pulling her as close to his as he could manage. She felt his tongue pass through her lips and after a moment, her own rose to met his.

Roy felt the heat building in his body as he held Riza against his chest. His heart started to race as he tilted the woman back onto the bed, lightly pinning her with his presence rather than his body. He felt her tense beneath him and he pulled away from the kiss, panting slightly, as he looked down into her eyes.

Riza felt herself being pressed backward onto the bed, Roy's body over her own, but not heavy enough that she couldn't push him off.

_The man pressed her to the ground roughly._

Riza tensed against the sudden flash in her mind and she froze. She felt Roy pull away from her as she clamped her eyes shut in an effort to block out the memory.

He had gone to far. He should have known better. He shouldn't have pushed her so quickly. He shouldn't have lost himself in his urges. Roy looked down at Riza, waiting for her to yell at him, tell him to get off and leave her alone. Anything. Riza had her eyes shut as her brows knit together, small beads of sweat forming. Roy bent down and lay a gentle kiss where her face crinkled in toward her eyes, feeling her relax slightly at the touch of his lips.

Riza opened her eyes and looked up at Roy, a small smile forming on her lips as the memories of what had happened faded again to the back of her mind. Pulling him close again, Riza hugged the alchemist to her, placing her lips at his ear.

"By the way, sir, I just thought you might like to know that I'm in love with you, too."

Roy shifted his head so he could look Riza in the eye. She still had a soft smile lingering on her lips, her expression honest. Roy smiled back at her, as he bent his lips to hers again, claiming them softly. He held that one kiss for a long moment, savoring the softness of her lips on his, the sweet smell of her skin. When he pulled away from her, he moved to sit up, but Riza's hands still held him tight to her. Sighing contently, he leaned into her body feeling her warmth through the thin satin sheets.

Riza held tight to Roy, his body pressing gently against her own as she hugged him close. She felt Roy break from the kiss but feeling her arms so firmly around him, tucked his head into her neck. She squirmed a little as his hot breath brushed against the small hairs on her neck, sending chills down her spine and causing a light pink blush to color her cheeks.

Roy felt Riza shudder underneath him and turned to look at her to make sure she was okay. He was surprised to see that a small amount of color had come to her cheeks and her breathing had increased. Slightly confused, Roy lowered his head back to it's resting place as he let out a sigh. Almost immediately he felt another tremor run through the woman's body. Roy smirk, leaning in closer as he blew gently down Riza's neck and up into her ear. Her body shook under his and her grip around his neck loosened, allowing the man to sit up on one elbow over her.

Riza looked up at Roy, his hair hanging loosely in his face and his white shirt hanging from his body. He had a playful smirk on his face, infecting her with its warmth and bringing a smile to her face as well. She reached up and brushed at the unruly strands of his hair where it stuck out at odd angles. She felt his hand on the side of her face and leaned into it, letting her eyes slide closed.

Roy watched her smile brighten her face and lifted his free hand to place it along the side of her face, causing her to close her eyes contentedly. Leaning down he kissed her cheek softly, brushing her skin with his lips faintly before moving next to her ear again.

"Let me help you forget for a little while, Riza. Let me help you ease the memories."

Riza felt Roy's breath on her ear, and sending chills through her body. She turned her head to his, looking into his dark eyes. She felt his warm arms around her body, but she still hesitated.

"Sir, I really…"

"No," his voice was soft and urging in her ear. "Stop calling me 'sir'. Riza, I want to hear you say my name." Tipping his head, Roy placed soft kisses down the side of her neck, eliciting a restrained moan from the woman beneath him. "Please, Riza, let me help you. You trusted me before, trust me now."

Riza tried unsuccessfully to restrain the moan that came to her lips at the touch of Roy's hot kisses to her cool skin. She tried to come up with a reason, any reason, why they shouldn't, but he was slowly pushing through all of her resistance, her mind slowly giving in. She felt Roy's lips trail down from her neck to her collar bone before going back up again to nibble the bottom of her ear.

_He pressed wet, hungry lips to her cheek, her neck…_

Riza stiffened again, placing her hands flat against Roy's chest, prepared to push him away. Her heart quickened its pace, and her breath caught in her throat. She let out a strangled cry, trying to put the memory in the back of her mind.

Roy felt Riza stiffen, and he hesitated, pulling his lips back from her ear. Her breathing had quickened and he bent close to her ear again, whispering softly.

"Riza, there is no way to erase the memories completely, but I want to help make them less hurtful. Please, Riza."

At the sound of Roy's voice, soft and pleading in her ear, the memory faded back into the far corner of her mind, leaving her alone again with Roy. She twisted her face to look at him, her eyes steady on his face as he returned her gaze. Breathing a soft sigh, Riza tipped her face closer and pressed her lips firmly to his.

Roy pulled his other glove from his fingers and placed his hand on the back of her neck, deepening the kiss between them and holding Riza to him. He was happy to find that she didn't fight, didn't push him, didn't attempt to break the contact. Instead he felt her place her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her. Kissing along her jaw he worked his way to her ear, nibbling the lobe before whispering breathily to her.

"If you want me to stop, just tell me."

Hesitantly, Roy slid his hand that was under her to the ties of the halter in her dress, undoing them. She sat up slipping one hand to Roy's chest, where she carefully undid the buttons one by one. Roy dropped the front of her dress down, exposing her chest to the cold air in the room. She shivered against him, finishing the last of the buttons on his shirt and sliding it free of his shoulders. Dipping his face down, he kissed his way down her chest.

Riza trembled against Roy, but the memory didn't surface as he kissed his way down her body, pressing her gently onto her back again. She ran her finger through his silky hair, holding him to her. She trailed her hands down his back, rubbing the muscles gently.

Roy took the tip of her breast between his lips, pulling gently with his teeth. He heard her suck in a sharp breath, but didn't push him away. He paused for a moment, paying careful attention to her breast as his other hand glided from the back of her neck to massage gently at the other. He could feel her heart pounding against his cheek but she was still encouraging him, soft moans escaping her lips. He lifted from her moving the sheet that covered her body, allowing himself closer.

He kissed across Riza's chest to the opposite breast, giving it the same attention he had previously been giving to the other. Sliding his hand down her side to her hips he pushed the unwanted black garment from her body. Gliding his hands over her firm, flat stomach and laying soft kisses just in ahead of his fingers, Roy made his way back to Riza's lips, his arm circling her waist.

Riza's hands fluttered down Roy's chest to his belt undoing the buckle and then working the zipper down. Sliding her thumbs into the waist band, she pushed the last of his clothing from his body. She felt Roy shift his body over hers, wrapping his arms tight around her and enveloping her in his warmth. Hesitantly, she lifted one leg draping it loosely over his waist, allowing his body to fall against hers. She could feel him pressed lightly against her skin, not moving, but holding her as he waited for her to react.

One of Riza's legs came up to loop over his hip, letting Roy come to rest against her more closely. He wanted her, to be sure; hardly a day went by in the office that he didn't find himself in some fantasy with her. However, he was not going to let his desire cloud his judgment. So he took her ear in his teeth gently again, pressing close against her.

"Are you sure, Riza? If you want me to stop, tell me now." She trembled lightly beneath him, her heart pounding on against his chest. She lifted her face to his and let out a breathy moan as he nibbled up to the top of her ear. Leaning into him as she held him close to her, she whispered in his ear.

"I trust you, Roy."

Roy pressed himself more firmly against Riza's body, not entering her but letting her feel him on her skin. She let out a husky moan, raising her other leg to wrap it around his waist, hooking her ankles. A smirk came to his lips as Roy tilted his face down to her neck, pulling lightly at the flesh with his lips. Rising himself again, he pressed gently, firmly, into the fold of her body.

Riza felt Roy pressed against her skin and let out a husky moan without intending to. Raising her other leg she looped it around his waist with her other leg, feeling him hard on her skin. Roy's lips on her neck caused her eyes to lid, and her head to drop heavily back onto the pillow. Softly she felt him enter her, his body firm and flat against hers, and a slight gasp escaped her.

_He butted his hips hard against her own._

Riza's heart started pounding in her chest as the image came unwanted to her mind. She closed her eyes fully, trying to close out the image, a single tear rolling down her cheeks at her own weakness, for not being able to repress the memory or the tear.

Roy felt Riza freeze under him, and his heart stopped. He knew she was remembering. Slowly he tread his fingers up her arm around his neck and pulled it down on the bed next to her face. He entwined his fingers with hers and kissed her cheek, surprised to taste a tear on his lips.

"It's okay," he whispered softly to her, slipping his arm under her shoulders and holding her to him. "I'm here; you're safe. I swear."

Riza slowly relaxed under him, opening her eyes and sighing. The sound of Roy's voice chased the last of the memory from her thoughts, allowing her to calm herself as she squeezed his hand to let him know she was okay. Roy's head came up and looked her in the eyes as she smiled up at him.

Roy smiled back, tilting his face to her and captured her lips again in a soft kiss. Slowly, he began to move inside her, taking his time and making certain she wasn't frightened. She let out a throaty moan, as he pressed deep and trailed his lips down her neck. He held her tight to his chest as he quickened his pace, eliciting more voluble and enticing moans from her full lips.

Riza felt Roy move, as he trailed his lips down the side of her neck again and couldn't restrain the moan that escaped her. She squeezed his hand in hers as she raked her other hand over his muscled back.

Over time the pace increased, from the encouragement of both partners as the night lengthened. The sound of their breathing and the faint gasps and moans that escaped them was the only sound that drifted through the large house. Riza clung to Roy, leaving red trails down his back from her nails, fastening her lips to his every so often before breaking away again, dropping her head back to the pillow. Roy had several dark red marks along his collar where she had caught his skin in her lips and sucked hard where she had found purchase.

Panting heavily, Riza clung tight to Roy, tightening down as she climaxed. Her legs clenched around his waist as he continued to drive himself deep inside her. Her voice refused to accompany the moan that escaped her, coming out as mostly air.

Roy felt Riza tighten around him as he pressed himself deeper still into her tight body. He bent his head fastening on her tender chest gently as he thrust into her again, the sound of her airy moan filling his ears. Driving himself inside her again, he moaned, stiffening inside her as he came. He pressed softly into her, his sensitive body twitching as she tightened more around him.

Spent, he collapsed next to her, freeing most of her body of his weight, and sliding himself free of her. Riza was still breathing heavily as she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Roy wrapped his arms around her holding her to his chest as he kissed her forehead, watching her drift peacefully off to sleep and following shortly after.

Mmmm smut. Enough said. Hope you liked it, so please oh please review and tell me what you think. Until next time. Bye!


	12. Back to Business

Kay guys, here it is. This is the final chapter in this saga. I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 12

Riza Hawkeye sighed as she listened to the thump of her boots tapping lightly on the floor of Head Quarters. It was her first day back in the office since she had been captured and she couldn't be more relieved. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy spending time with Roy (It was going to take some time to remember to call him Colonel) but she was ready for things to go back to normal.

She opened the door the outer office and was greeted with a resounding "Surprise!" Havoc and Breda pulled her quickly into the office , closing the door behind her to block the excessive amount of noise from the rest of the building. Fuery passed her a drink and smiled warmly as he and Falman welcomed her back. She thanked them politely inwardly shaking her head; they would us any excuse to avoid their work. Sure Falman and Fuery worked diligently enough, but then they probably weren't the ones be hind the party either. When it came to excuses, Havoc and Breda were as bad as the Colonel (Okay, maybe not that long).

Riza tried to wade toward her desk through the decorations that had gone somewhat overboard; she suspected that was Havoc's doing. She stopped short of where he desk should have been, seeing only balloons and streamers filling the now empty space.

"Fuery?" The young man appeared at her elbow immediately.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is my desk?"

"Oh! The Colonel asked that we move it into his office." the tone of his voice sounded as if he was surprised that she was unaware of the move. Riza shook her head and spoke a soft thank you to Fuery and went into the colonel's office to put her things on her desk.

Some ten minutes later, Roy mad his way into the office. Everyone called a morning greeting to him as he read his way carefully through the mess.

"Oh, Colonel, there's a surprise waiting in the corner for you." Havoc advised him with a jerk of his thumb at the corner in question.

Roy paused, uncertain whether or not to look. The last time Havoc had a surprise for him it had involved a stripper and leaving Roy handcuffed to his office chair. He would have been stuck there until the next morning if Hawkeye hadn't accidentally left her book in her desk and found him in his boxers, his white shirt hanging from his elbows.

Finally Roy shrugged mentally as he moved toward the corner. There was no way havoc could have anything there that was nearly as humiliation as that last incident had been. Roy managed to push through the last of the balloons that blocked his path and stopped, a look of complete surprise on his face.

Ed sat in the corner, a confident smile of success streaking across his face as he fiddled idly with something in his hands. Next to him, his head lolling on his shoulder in unconsciousness, was Talsi, wrapped tightly in chains in an office chair and that in turn chained to the floor by Roy assumed Ed's alchemy.

"I was right," Ed commented, climbing to his feet lazily. He grinned more broadly and moved passed Roy for the door. "Almost as much fun as kicking your ass."

Roy let him go, smiling and shaking his head. He turned to Talsi's unconscious form, looked him over once and removed a pen from his pocket. Roy sketched a small transmutation circle on the chain, brushing his finger across it and snapping the ling. Then he turned and the man sitting there.

"Havoc," Roy called through the overblown decorations, "please escort Mr. Talsi to the MP's office and have him charged with attempting human alchemy and the kidnapping of a military officer. The rest of you clean this place up. I enjoy a good party as much as the rest of you, but we have work to do."

Roy made his way carefully to his office grabbing a balloon just before opening the door and closed it snuggly behind him as he moved for his desk. He took a seat in his chair and began to toss it idly in the air and bat it between his hands. He glanced over at Hawkeye and saw that she was already working diligently on the papers that had piled on her desk in her absence. Roy smirked and tapped the balloon, sending it against the Lieutenant's back.

"Back to business as usual, is it Riza?" The woman looked up from her work, a reproving glare on her face for his use of her first name. Then her expression softened and she smiled, shaking her head and turning back to her work.

"Yes, sir."

FIN


End file.
